From End to Beginning
by Kateracks
Summary: Some people say that everything happens for a reason but they don't always understand what that means. We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is Kateracks and KissyNae with the story we're writing together. We're not 100 percent sure what we're going to do with it yet but we'll try really hard to make it enjoyable for you to read. So since that's the case, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: We don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Enjoy!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it places the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Five figures stood around a circular table with a hologram in the middle. The image inside the hologram twisted at will of the group's leader and took the form of two girls. They seemed to be fighting a snow storm.

"These are the ones?" asked a voice in the dark room. It sounded like it came from someone around the age of twenty. "They don't look so special."

"Looks can be deceiving," spoke an icy voice. "But I regret to say, I don't see what makes them so unique either."

"We have yet to discover that," said a deep, rumbling voice. "But I've looked into it and these two are the enormous powers we've been feeling. They are who she's after."

"Perhaps it is their Heartless?" wondered another.

"Or maybe they can control the dark, too?" suggested yet another.

"In any case, we need these girls," said the rumbling one. "They could be the difference between our success and failure." The eyes roamed about the room and stopped on the possessor of the first voice.

"Go see what you can do," he ordered them. The figure nodded and left the room.

* * *

"This is stupid!" I whined in frustration. "They finally call school off on account of snow and we can't even leave the dang building!" I turned to my friend Violet and demanded, "Why did my car have to break down today?"

"Because it got cold, Fae. You're car needs some work done to it," she replied.

"Yeah, and you need to get one." I sighed. "I want to go home! At least there's a heating system that works there!"

"We could always walk to your house," said Violet.

I reluctantly agreed and we opened the door to get blasted in the face with freezing air. Violet zipped her coat up to her chin and stuffed her gloved hands into her pockets and began walking, fighting the wind. It was a half mile, uphill walk to my house from the school and we were in for the long haul with the wind blowing directly at us and the drifts quickly growing.

_Why didn't I wear boots today?_ I found myself wondering as I slipped on another patch of ice. Skater shoes were not exactly the smartest choice for this kind of trek but it was too late now. Luckily, Violet was close and could catch me before I actually hit the ground.

She started picking up pace as we climbed the hill to my house and I attempted to keep up but only succeeded in stepping on another patch of ice. My skull cracked loudly against the ground and stars exploded into my vision in a sea of black.

It took a minute for my sight to clear enough that I could determine I was on my stomach. I pushed off the ground but found that I was still standing on the patch of ice and couldn't get my footing.

"Fan-flippin-tastic," I mumbled and then called, "Violet!" But my plead had got caught in the wind and carried off before it even reached her ears.

"Here, let me help."

Someone in a black coat knelt beside me and cleared some snow away off to the side with great speed; it was almost as if he was melting it. He put his arms around my waist and lifted me to my feet. I swayed unsteadily and the person offered me his arm, helping me slip and slide up the rest of the hill and into my yard where there was grass for traction.

"Thanks!" I called over the wind that gusted past me and blew back his hood, revealing red hair.

"No problem. You can't help me if you freeze to death."

"Help you?" I wondered. I then realized that the wind had calmed. The snowflakes themselves had frozen in mid fall and the sun had just started to peep through the clouds to shine on the rolling hills behind my house, the light sparkling off the snowflakes.

"Wow," I breathed and turned back as the guy jerked his hood back up.

He then leaned down to my ear. "I have been assigned to protect you until the time is right. You and your friend have a Guardian. We're always nearby. When the time comes, I'll be back for you."

And then he was gone, the wind howling again and Violet yelling, "Fae!"

* * *

It's been a month since I last saw that guy. Well, in person anyway. I kept seeing him in my mind everyday. That's kind of weird considering I don't know what he looks like, just that he has red hair and a skinny figure. I could still hear his voice, too, but I couldn't get it to talk to me, just repeat those few phrases over and over. _You can't help me if_...

Everyday when I walked to and from my house up until my car got fixed, I always looked where I had fell to see the shallow but noticeable burn marks in the road where the guy had cleared the snow away. I even asked Violet to make sure I wasn't only wishing them there but she saw them, too; it was like a fire had been lit.

I didn't really tell Violet clearly what he had said. She knew that someone had helped me out of the snow and that he was going to come back to me for help. I didn't specifically tell her that we both had Guardians but I did tell her that if she was ever in trouble to yell. It didn't help her when she tripped down the stairs two weeks later and tore ligaments in her ankle...again.

"So are we going to your brother's this weekend, Fae?"asked Violet.

"Duh, how else are we going to do our testing?" I asked.

Violet squealed in delight. My brother Brand is our best guy friend and, like most of the other gal pals I had, Violet thought Brand was good-looking. I'm sure that added to her excitement.

"Should we see if he'll take us to Moonlit Cradle to eat?" I asked.

"Heck yeah!"

So the days passed and by the time it was the weekend, we had both worked up enough hyper energy to power a city. We were going to stay in a big house that was conveniently located in the same yard as my brother's house which used to be the big house's garage. Plus we would get to see a huge baby that belonged to Brand's best friend and go to the mall. And all this was aside from hanging with my brother himself.

After school on Friday, Violet and I went to her house and then my house to grab our stuff and take care of any last minute chores before we got on the road. At my house, I let the dog out and grabbed my backpack before we headed back out to the car. As we came out, I sniffed the cool, winter air and turned toward the big maple tree in our front yard where I felt eyes on me. Black flitted away and I passed if off as a bird. I even let the smoke that I whiffed on the wind slide, thinking it was that frosty smell you get before a snow.

Getting into the car, we proceeded down the road to our destination. We drove out of town and just started getting up to normal speed when I glanced out my window. I thought I saw that black flicker past the car and then a person in a coat standing idly by a telephone pole but when I did a double-take, neither were there.

The whole drive took about two hours. I made a crazy turn about halfway through the journey when I misjudged it, still being new to the road. Other than that and almost getting lost in the dark a couple times while listening to music, the trip was uneventful.

Violet got the homemade map out of my CD case and held it up to her face as if trying to read it even though it was dark.

"I think you turn left here." She started to laugh and flicked on the light. "Just kidding but you do turn left."

"Look, there's the drug store," I stated, since that was one of the things we were supposed to watch for.

"Where do we go in?" wondered Violet.

"Right here?" I tried it without waiting for her response.

"Fae, I don't think this is right. Look at the way the cars are parked."

"Now those people think we're dumb," I whined. It's a good thing we weren't from around here. "Call Brand and tell him we're here." Violet grabbed my phone and dialed the number.

"He better hurry," she said after the call ended. "Before someone backs up." We both laughed and I looked to Violet when I heard a chuckle that she'd never done before. She looked at me with a grin in place.

"Wasn't that you?" she asked.

"No, I thought it was you," I replied.

"Must have been outside," we both said.

"There he is." Violet climbed out of the car to go meet him. I grinned as I watched her go around the back of the car. Something caught my eyes and I squinted at it in the rear view mirror until my eyes adjusted. Sitting on my back seat was someone in a black coat with the hood pulled up. I turned around but no one was sitting there and when I looked back, their image was no longer in the mirror.

Violet climbed back into the car and we followed Brand to his place. Upon reaching the destination, we played some video games and ate some dinner before we got ready for bed. It was eleven and only then did we discover that the house we were supposed to stay in was locked. So we stayed in Brand's small house–Violet in his big arm chair, me on the cold floor (I volunteered), and Brand in his bed.

I stayed awake for quite a while longer, listening to various breathing patterns and passing trains. I was only half asleep when I heard Violet moan (rather loudly) and I was fully awake again. A few more minutes and I turned to my side, trying to keep warm. When an unnatural warmth crept over me, I finally fell asleep.

* * *

It's a little slow and pointless but it's just the first chapter. Things pick up in the next one, though, so be prepared for it.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated since we're just starting out. Hope you enjoyed it!

KissyNae and Kateracks


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Arait and Fire Feathers for reviewing. This chapter has a little more excitement in it so hopefully it will earn a few more reviews.

Disclaimer: We don't own Kingdom Hearts.

This little thing is going to be at the beginning of each chapter unless we decide otherwise.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Violet and I got up early and went to the center for our tests. We both thought we could have done better but what are you going to do? Brand went to work shortly after we left but we met up with him for lunch.

The most exciting thing that happened up until dinner was when we met Brand's best friend over lunch and had a few minutes with the huge baby that we were eager to see yesterday. We tried giving him some broccoli which caused his just-got-up face to contort into a very pissed off look. So we gave him some chicken instead and his face again morphed into one that made him look about to bawl even though he stayed silent. After he only poked at the pineapple I gave him, Brand decided to take him back to his father.

Violet sighed. "Having little kids like him just makes him even hotter." I only sipped my soda and again wondered about the cloaked figures and the guy who helped me.

Brand went back to work so we went back to his house and sat around for a couple hours. Violet finally decided that she was going to end her boredom by visiting some friend who lived nearby and I would stay at the house waiting for Brand. However, before she left she made it very clear that Brand and I were _not_ to go to Moonlit Cradle without her.

At about six Brand returned home and at six thirty Violet arrived. We sat around until seven when we finally felt hungry enough to leave.

* * *

Moonlit Cradle was basically a tower with a building at each corner and side (hey, it's a city) except for the west side which overlooked the horizon. There were windows in all appropriate spots but the west side was always completely glass so diners could get a view of the land. We were seated on one of the topmost floors in the middle of the room and next to a salad bar where we could see through the west window.

The lights placed about gave the restaurant a calm feeling but also made it rather dim. We placed our orders and conversed about the normal dinner topics.

Violet looked out the window during one of the moments of silence. "It's raining," she said.

"Good," I stated. "I like the rain."

I watched it gently pelt the window for a while until I almost choked on my drink when someone tripped over my chair and pushed it into the table. I coughed a couple times and was patted on the back by Brand.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss. Please excuse my clumsiness," spoke a polite, manly voice.

I turned in my seat to look at the person and found...Yes, it was a guy but he had brown hair that went to his thighs. It was pulled into a loose ponytail just below his shoulder blades and I knew it took all Violet had not to be making fun of it right now. The man's blue-green eyes shone both with apology and the smile that spread gracefully across his face.

He appeared to be in his twenties with jeans that hugged his hips due to his belt and bagged at the legs. He had a black muscle tee under his leather coat that now glittered in the dim light from his escape of the rain.

"It's alright," I finally rasped out. He then nodded to Brand and Violet before leaving with a flourish of his hair.

When I turned back, Violet was biting her lip to keep from saying anything about the guy's appearance and Brand was eyeing him as he sat down in a booth and propped his feet up.

I rolled my eyes and then grinned when our food arrived. Not very many places can top Moonlit Cradle's food, especially not their ravioli and bread sticks. But they had a wide selection so Brand just ordered a steak and Violet got a sandwich and some mashed potatoes.

After we were finished, a waitress came by to receive dessert orders. I was stuffed easily since I never ate much (it goes with the insomnia I've had for years) but urged Violet to try some fried ice cream and Brand ordered a latté.

As she was leaving, Brand's phone rang and he answered it but soon told us, "The lights are screwing with my reception. I'll have to go outside." He got up and strode out.

The seconds ticked by and suddenly Violet stood up announcing she now had to use the restroom. I sighed, watching her leave, too. I told her not to drink so much.

So I sipped my pop again and watched the people talk, waitresses buzz from table to table, and the rain still lightly pelting the window.

Brand's chair was pulled out again but instead of my brother sitting down, I found the guy from before doing so.

"I just wanted to apologize again for bumping into you," he said in his low voice.

I waved a hand. "It's no problem. It was bound to happen to happen to one of us at some point. My friend can choke on the air she breathes."

He smiled again. "Well that's a relief. I was hoping there wouldn't be any trouble."

"Trouble? The only trouble there will be is if my brother comes back and finds you in his seat."

"Oh, I don't think he will be needing this seat. I'm certain he'll be doing other things quite shortly."

Now I was on my guard. "Oh yeah? And how would you know this?"

"He's very protective of you and so I'd only assume he would be the first one to worry if something happened to you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Look, I don't know what you think you're talking about but I'm staying here and you should be leaving."

"Only if you come with me. We'll find your friend and go. I have a job to do."

I glared sharply at him. I knew that the red haired guy was supposed to come find me again and he was supposed to have someone else with him. This was not him–I would have recognized the voice.

"Just who the heck are you?" I demanded.

He leaned back and hooked an arm over the back of his chair. "You can call me–" He drew out 'me' and chuckled as he looked away. "–Nave."

"Well, Nave, I don't care what you've got to do, I'm not going anywhere and neither is Violet."

"You're not coming?" he repeated with a grin, mocking me.

"Of course not. I just needed to know your name so I could formally–" I chuckled, too, remembering a word on the test this morning that would be perfect for this situation. "–spurn this idea of yours."

He growled in annoyance and slammed his hands on the tabletop. As he stood up, his appearance shifted and he had blonde hair with completely black eyes that drew me in like a tar pit. His jeans had become black and his shirt was now blood red while the leather coat became a trench coat.

"You said there'd be no trouble," he rumbled in a gravelly tone, a deadly smirk in place. I stood and backed up slightly but still held my ground. "I don't have time for this, little one. You're coming with me and it's your decision whether I maim you first or not."

I glared and then lowered my head as if to think when I was really searching for a way out of this situation. A glint caught my eye and I scooped up Brand's steak knife.

Nave laughed darkly. "Oh, a knife. Whatever shall I do?" He continued to laugh as he moved one side of his coat to reveal a belt of knives. He brought out three, one between each set of fingers.

I flipped the knife in my hand so I was holding the blade and then threw it. I was sure it would miss but, to my surprise, it caught his side. The force of my attempted distraction tugged him sideways but he didn't act like he noticed. One of his own knives came flying toward me but I lost sight of it when my feet were suddenly kicked out from under me.

The impact of the floor to my head dazed me for only a second until I felt the full force of the stabbing pain in my right shoulder. I had never felt anything so agonizing in my life. I tried to scream but my throat constricted, squeezing off the sound and only letting out a rush of air. I felt warmth spread over my shoulder, heard the dripping by my ear and even though my vision was blackening, I didn't pass out.

Nave grabbed the chair that I had somehow knocked over when I fell and threw it carelessly across the room to get to me. He straddled me and crouched down to look at my pain stricken face.

"That's no good," he hissed. "I wanted to hear you scream. We'll just have to try something else."

It slowly became apparent that people were screaming and running out of the room. I think that one of the lights had been broken (maybe by the chair) and had started an electrical fire near my table and the buffet. I was dimly aware that Nave's side wound was trickling blood onto my abdomen and it was now pouring rain outside.

I watched in slow motion as his hand rose up and was lit in a blue and black flame. As it dropped to crush my hip, I scarcely heard the dull breaking of the west window and at the same time as his fist made contact, a kick met his side and threw him off. A blast of water followed and then time returned to normal.

I couldn't turn my head but a familiar voice met my ears. "Back me up!" The redhead was just barely in view when he took advantage of the electrical fire and brought it around my left side as a shield.

"If he gets through there, hit him with everything you've got!" He knelt beside me and ran his eyes along my body. They met mine and I made out a quiet, "Sorry."

His gloved hand wrapped around the blade in my shoulder and pulled it out. The dripping became heavier as he turned to his companion. "Hey, wash this." And a blast of water hit me.

Nave jumped through the flame and another blast threw him into the ceiling. As he prepared to flip over in his fall, a new black blur flew toward him and pounded him into the floor.

"About time you showed up!" cried the redhead.

"Sorry, got stuck in traffic," joked a younger male voice. The cloaked arrival went after Nave and called over his shoulder to the other unknown figure, "Go find yours! I'll hold him off!"

"Right!" And the water user ran across my line of vision and out the door. Metal striking metal rang in my ears for several minutes and then the younger figure came to stand behind the redhead.

"He escaped. Jumped out the window. I can't believe that old hag actually hired someone to get them for her."

The redhead shook his head. "No joke. Look at this." He pulled the fabric from my hip and the other visibly winced and withdrew. The redhead held a hand over it and it grew hot, searing. I drew in a quick breath but my throat again cut out my cry, keeping it down to a whimper.

"Hold her up for me." I heard tearing fabric as I was lifted up and then the pain finally became too much. I blacked out.

* * *

"Wait, come back, she's waking up."

I opened my eyes into the cool, comforting darkness of Brand's room. _A little too cool._ I groaned at the stiffness in my limbs from the temperature.

"Oh God, Fae, you scared the crap out of me," my brother breathed to my right. I tried to turn my head but then screeched when a protest came from my right shoulder.

"We were both scared," said Violet.

"You were scared?" I snorted. "I thought I was gonna frickin' die."

Brand sighed in relief that I was conscious. "Are you hungry?"

"After that ravioli? I don't think so."

"Fae, that was two days ago," Violet informed me.

"Two days?! What about school?!"

"Yeah, good thing that rain turned into a blizzard. School was called off for Christmas Break early. So are you hungry or what?"

"Can I just have some blackberry tea?" I asked Brand and he nodded, exiting the room. When I was sure he was in the kitchen, I asked Violet, "So...did-did someone come find you?"

She smiled. "Yep and someone found _you_, too. He was really worried about you. He stayed here in the chair until last night when he suddenly had to leave. His buddy–My Guardian that you never told me about?–He came back and got him."

"Where did you sleep if he was in your chair?"

"In the other house."

"All by yourself?"

She smiled. "Yep. But you want to know the weird thing? It was almost like Brand couldn't see that redheaded guy. Like he felt like someone was there because he kept looking at the chair but he couldn't see him."

"Hmm..." I gazed at the ceiling. "But you could?"

"Yeah. He told me to give you this." She held out a paper. I took it shakily with my good arm and read the scrawling handwriting.

_Sorry our date was cancelled. See you again soon. _

–

–**Violet's POV–**

"Alright so we know mine is hot. What about your Guardian?" Fae wondered.

"He's a cutie...well, I think so. He has blonde hair in a mullet thing–Don't worry it looks good on him–and green eyes. He's kind of skinny but I like him."

She smiled. "Mine can control fire just like we thought. Axel... Did you get a name?"

I nodded. "Demyx and he controls water with this guitar thing."

She sighed sleepily. "Something smells good."

"It's that bandage Axel made from his coat. He smelled really good. He said the fabric will keep your wound dry when you shower. Demyx said the water he sprayed on it will help keep it from getting infected."

Brand brought in her tea so I left them alone, going outside and into the other house to change my clothes. As I picked them out, I spotted a reflection of red in the mirror on the dresser.

"Back again, huh?" I asked, still digging for a fresh outfit.

"How is she?" asked the cocky voice.

"Why don't you see for yourself?'

"Nah, I can't stay long. I'm already in enough trouble for almost letting her get captured. So, how is she?"

"She's awake and understanding stuff but still really tired. It's a good thing she doesn't have to go back to school for a while."

"What are you going to do with her?" he asked, getting off the bed and following me to lean on the doorway as I stepped into the bathroom.

I began to straighten my hair. "Not sure yet. She needs to heal a little before we decide whether to move her or not." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "You know, you could have gone to see her by now."

He shrugged. "She'd probably be asleep again."

"She'd be wide awake if you were there. She really...has an interest in you." He didn't catch my pause and only shrugged again. "But I don't know why. You're a butthead!"

"Butthead? Well, maybe, but I'm the butthead who saved her life."

"So what do you want us for? The same reason Nave did? What is that reason?"

"It could be the same reason but as far as what it is goes, I can't tell you. _I_ don't even know yet."

"You're just blindly following orders? Who ordered it? What's in it for you?"

"Whose house is this?" he asked, changing the subject and looking at the high ceiling.

"I don't know. Some friend's of Brand's, I guess," I replied. "Answer my questions!"

"Answer my question first."

"I just told you. I–don't–know! I can't answer it."

"Well then I can't answer yours either."

"That doesn't even make sense!" He shrugged again.

"He hardly ever makes sense." Demyx walked around the corner from the living room.

"Oh, you're here, too?" I asked. "So how come you just left me after you saved me, hmm?"

"Uh...I couldn't stay; I had stuff to do," he answered uncertainly.

"Axel had stuff to do but he stayed with Fae."

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"No, I'm still mad."

"Oh really?" He leaned agaist the wall of the tub and drew some water from the drain. I watched as it formed into a bubbled in his hand and rose above my head.

"If you pop that on my straight hair, I am going to beat you up," I warned him.

"Oh yeah? Will you now?"

"Yeah, now get out. I have to change. I pushed him out the door and closed it behind him.

"Fine," I heard from the other side. "We have to leave anyway, Axel. Xemnas wants to see us." I could hear the smile in his voice and I knew he purposely said the name to tease me when I opened the door and they were no longer there.

* * *

And that's the end of Chapter Two! Remember to review, guys. It makes us happy and happy authors update faster. :)

Have a great day!

Kissynae and Kateracks


	3. Chapter 3

Kateracks: Thanks for the reviews. We're glad that you enjoyed the chapter and that Nave successfully served his purpose. He was my creation. :D

KissyNae: Yeah, I haven't really helped out too much yet but when we get to the part that Kat stopped writing, I am going to give my input and, of course, when it gets all lovey dovey, you're gonna be blown away. So get ready because it's comin'. Soon.

Kateracks: (Rolls her eyes) So anyway, here's Chapter Three and it's another action packed one so hang on to your seats. :)

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

It had been almost two weeks since the incident at Moonlit Cradle and I was back at home. Well, I wasn't right this minute. I was currently working the concession stand at a holiday basketball tournament, the only reason being that the munny being made was going toward a color yearbook and we were making quite a bit.

I winced as I reached above my head for a Pepsi and then went back to the counter to take the munny.

Brand had ended up driving us home because I was too beat up to drive. I couldn't sit up because my hip burned whenever I bent at the waist and my arm couldn't work the steering wheel because of my shoulder. The good thing was that I could easily stretch out on the back seat. It's a good thing Nave didn't attack Violet or we'd have no comfortable way to transport her home. At a modest 5' 2", I was five inches shorter than her but I prefer the term 'petite'.

Brand had taken the week ahead of his vacation (or temporary firing on recall) off to stay at my house, where he still was now. This was my first real time out of the house.

I turned to Violet. She wasn't part of the yearbook committee but she made the best popcorn and she wanted to protect me.

"I'm going to take a break and watch the game," I told her.

She nodded knowingly and I went to stand in the doorway to the gym, not too far from the concession stand. I pulled my shirt away from my shoulder a little to let the smell from the bandage waft to my nose. It hadn't weakened any since the time I got it.

I checked the scoreboard when the ref called for free throws. _One minute until half time._ It was then I spotted the blonde on the upper level, leaning on the railing. I hadn't seen him before so I only assumed that he was from the opposing team's school.

He scanned the crowd and then waved in my direction. I lifted a brow and looked behind me. No one else was around. I looked at him again and cocked my head when he seemed to be nodding.

The loud whistle sounded. The guy seemed to be staring directly at me now. "Fae! Hurry up! It's half time!"

"Okay." Did I know him?

I went back in and handed out pop and candy, gum and change as fast as I could. My shoulder started to throb and my hip started to burn from bending over so much. When things calmed down, Violet left to watch the game. And then he was suddenly there. His blonde hair was spiked and he had cool blue eyes. He looked to be two years younger than my age of seventeen.

"Hey," he said casually.

"Hey..." I responded slowly. "What can I get you?"

"Just a drink," he replied.

"Oka-ay...Any particular kind?"

"Just something caffeinated."

I laughed now and went to the freezer. "You're getting a Wild Cherry Pepsi then." _Only because my shoulder's killing me and they're down low. _

"Sounds good." He fished ten munny out of his pocket.

"Hey, I know this is going to sound dumb but were you waving at me earlier?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Oh...? I know this is going to sound dumber but do I know you?"

"Not yet but you probably will soon. How's your shoulder?"

I glared and reached up to grip the throbbing limb. All at once, everything stopped. The people became silent and froze in mid-walk or with their pop bottles halfway to their mouths.

"How do you know about that? What did you do?" I demanded.

He grinned cutely. "Calm down."

"We just thought you looked like you could use a break from all these people." I turned around and there, seated comfortably on the counter, was Axel with a tray of nachos.

He was better looking than I remembered. His spiky hair flared with an angry fury but his green eyes were calm as he lifted a chip to his mouth. His body was small with an hour-glass like figure but he was all muscle as far as I could see...and _tall_. He also had tattoos. Those were sexy but it would have been better if they were in a different spot. Currently they were positioned under his eyes on his cheekbones and had the shape of an upside down teardrop; he must have been tough to get tattoos there.

"Hey buddy," was all I could say as I watched him wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Well, I didn't expect to get that kind of greeting. I thought you'd be mad." He smirked.

"You saved my life, should I have a reason to be mad?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes you don't need a reason. How are the roads for you?"

"Not good. I almost died three times today while turning corners. The brakes on my car suck," I replied, watching him eat again. I'm attuned to details and couldn't help but watch his jaw and throat muscles as he munched away.

"Yeah." He gestured to the guy leaning on the counter behind me. "Roxas almost split his pants when he fell outside because of the ice." I smiled but didn't look at Roxas. Axel raised a fine red eyebrow. "Problem?"

I looked away embarrassed. I was still tired from my insomnia and it wasn't helping my awareness any. "No, sorry."

"Sorry? I thought I had cheese on my nose or something."

I giggled tiredly. "So, what brought you here this _fine_ evening?"

"Actually, you're not going to like why," said Axel and then changed the subject. "Roxas, got fifteen munny?" I finally turned to the blonde.

He grumbled while digging through his pocket. "It's not like it's going to matter soon anyway." I narrowed my eyes in annoyance at how cryptic these two were being. Roxas rubbed the back of his head. "We're, uh, here to tell you that...someone is coming for you. Axel and I volunteered for the job but we weren't allowed because Axel already let you get hurt once."

"Bottom line is," Axel cut in. "Your world is going to be destroyed unless you come with whoever shows up to get you, meaning you and your friend. I'd suggest not putting up a fight. Got it memorized?"

"No. I don't want to go anywhere. I told Nave the same thing. I want to stay here. I'm starting to like my life and I'd appreciate it if you would put it back into motion."

Axel shrugged as he slid off the counter, threw his nacho tray away, and put the munny in the box.

"Just thought we should warn you that you may be homeless before the night is out." He paused in front of me. "And that your popcorn is burning."

He smirked again as he reached over my head to the lid that was in mid-pop and flipped the handle. He laid a hand near my shoulder wound and then ran it up my neck to hold my chin and examine the dark circles under my eyes. His smirk grew as a blush dusted my cheeks and then he stepped back into a black swirling mass that had sprung up from the floor.

Roxas shook his head and rolled his pop bottle across the counter. I caught it as it rolled off and then gaped as he, too, stepped back into another mass of black. I heard "Nice catch!" echo around before the world began to move again.

My world...destroyed? Somehow I didn't think that was possible of anyone even after seeing Axel's uncanny ability to stop time. I shook my head and smiled. He was probably just messing with me like he was before he left. Roxas didn't seem like he was sure of what he was saying either.

I went to the door and watched the routine the cheerleaders' were doing during a break when the coaches were forming their strategies. Violet was helping them out since she used to be the loudest but got kicked out for "bad sportsmanship". (It wasn't Violet's fault that the other girl looked like an ogre. It was true! I saw it!) She didn't seem upset, though, and her reasoning on it was that she got to hang out with me more.

"_It's OK, really, Fae. Those uniforms were too girly anyway. I voted for the pants and tank top combo and it all went downhill from there."_

My thoughts trailed back to the supposed threat on my world. Could a world really be destroyed? They were just some weirdos in black, how could they be powerful enough to do that? Just because one of them was good-looking didn't mean they were stronger than anyone else.

But what if they were as strong as Nave? I had wounded him and he didn't even flinch. When he tried to crush my hip, I had the strangest feeling from somewhere that he wasn't even scratching his power. And Roxas had said that someone had hired Nave (or I assumed it to be Roxas that night at Moonlit Cradle; it sounded like his voice) so that meant that there could be someone stronger out there, right? Maybe I should...

No! I already told them that I am happy here and I'm not changing my mind. They shouldn't even try to come retrieve me, I don't care what they need me for. Why would I go anyway? I don't even know why they would need me _or _Violet. For all I know, they could be deranged rapists or something. But...Axel did protect me. I don't care what he did, I'm staying here and that's final!

I suddenly felt a strange chill run down my spine and turned to check it out and also to make sure no one was at the concession stand. What I found was another cloaked person near an inactive pop machine and a table. I blinked and squinted to make sure I was seeing right; I was. No one, not even the people sitting at the table, seemed to notice he was standing there. Yes _he_, I could tell by the shape and posture.

A hand lifted and pointed at me and then waved vaguely in Violet's direction. I glared as he held it out expectantly, telling me to come. I shook my head and glared more fiercely.

He walked up beside me and looked out at the stands in a half interested manner. I heard a 'Hmph' come from the body and then a deadly cold, drab voice spoke, "Their lives are in your hands."

Then he walked out onto the court, in front of all the players, and faded from view. I checked again to make sure no one saw him. Violet looked confused but no one else was paying any attention. I shrugged.

A ref blew a whistle to let the coaches rethink their plays and the cheerleaders again took the floor and began their "Victory" cheer. "If you want to win, you've got to cheer with all your might. We say 'Go', you say 'Fight'. Go!"

A resounding "Fight!" came from our fans.

"Go!"

"Fight!"

"Go!"

A scream rang out and it became deafeningly silent as the team gathered around one of our own players and the crowd awaited an explanation.

"What happened?" called a ref.

"I think he choked on his water and passed out!" cried the assistant coach. I don't know about the rest of the crowd but I thought that was kind of a dumb explanation.

I started out onto the court when I thought a spot of skin on the fallen player had taken on a blackish hue. One of the girls from my class who had been a lifeguard over the summer stepped up to perform the standard procedure. She bent down but then jumped back up and away as the player was covered in a black haze. When the fog cleared, all that was there was an ant-like creature with big yellow eyes.

Its little head bobbed from side to side observing the people around and then it spotted me, staring at it in shock. Had a person just changed into this little thing? Its antennae twitched and then more little ants crawled up from the shadows on the floor.

"Fight!" I finished the cheer as a warning to everyone and then grabbed a metal chair from the sidelines and swung it into one of the ants that jumped at me. It disappeared in a fog and I hurled the chair at the group that had gathered before I ran back to Violet as best I could with my injuries.

I grabbed her sleeve as I passed and pulled her around behind me.

"Where are you going? Those things–"

"We have to run! Now!" She didn't argue anymore and ran ahead of me to open the doors while the ants bounded and crawled through the shadows behind us.

People screamed and scrambled over top of each other to escape. I abruptly stopped, however, when some guy from the opposing school tripped over himself and face planted in front of me. That isn't why I stopped, though. I stopped because right after he fell, one of the ants jumped on him and stabbed its clawed hand into his chest. I could only gawk as it ripped out a glowing heart-shaped object and devoured it.

It wasn't until the guy's corpse turned into another ant that my body finally came back to life and I leaped over both of them. That was a stupid idea! As soon as my feet met the ground, my hip sent pain coursing up and down my being and I dropped like a rock. Luckily for me, the momentum from my jump caused me to roll through the doors and Violet closed them on the black creatures.

She helped me stagger to my feet but when the creatures started crawling under the doors, it was time for me to start running again. We raced to the parking lot and I jumped into the driver's side at the same time as Violet climbed into the other side. She shut her door just as an ant tried to follow; its small head met the metal of the door.

"We can't just leave these people! Those things are after _us_! You saw how it picked you out of the crowd!" Violet reminded me as I fumbled with the keys. There was another slam against the side of the car and in the side mirror I saw a strange blue creature with a shield like the head of a dog.

"What do you suggest we do?" Violet opened her mouth but then closed it. I turned the key, bringing the engine to life and we busted out of the parking lot. I turned the first chance I got, not really knowing where I was going, just letting my adrenaline lead me.

A black blur flew in front of the car and when I focused, I saw an almost humanesque figure with a strange head and wings floating in front of the windshield. It raised an arm whose hand possessed a sword and threw it down into the windshield, shattering it on us and sending glass shards into our skin. Without thinking I sped up, my wheels only spinning on the ice until they caught on gravel and we passed under the flying thing.

I turned right this time and realized we were headed for my house. The back end of my car began to fish-tail, almost sending us into the ditch before I jerked back on the steering wheel to make the car swerve the correct way. We sped up the hill with the scorch marks that I knew were still there and then turned left into my driveway.

We parked and bailed out of the car. Violet helped me limp into the house since my hip was burning beyond belief. Once inside we were met with another strange sight: a white thing stood amidst some ants in my dining room, swaying on its feet as if awaiting a command.

I grabbed Brand's newest knife off of the computer desk as the ants bounded our way but all of a sudden, they stopped and disappeared into the shadows. Violet looked out the windows in my living room and pointed into the sky where a huge black and orange orb had appeared. It was sucking in everything and I was finally convinced that our world was going to be destroyed and it was all my fault.

The white thing still swayed in my dining room. As the knife clattered to the floor, it walked forward, it's legs stretching and contracting until it was close enough to pick the weapon up, holding it and swaying once again.

I watched it warily as I contemplated what I should do and how Violet would react. But before I could decide anything definite, the house began to shake. The windows Violet was standing by exploded and probably would have killed her if the blade-like pieces of glass weren't sucked away. The roof was torn off and then the wall collapsed, leaving us exposed. It was like I was watching a tornado strike my house.

I was the first to be pulled out of the house, then Violet who had caught me. Lastly, the white thing wiggled up and whipped along beside us. I did all I could think of at the time.

"Axel!" leapt from my throat. There was a tearing sound behind us and then, once again, everything went black.

* * *

Kateracks: Phew! Another long one...for us anyway. (Turns to KissyNae) You know, I'm going to make you start typing these pretty soon.

KissyNae: ...Somehow I don't think you'd like the outcome of that.

Kateracks: ...Yeah, probably not, it'd never get posted. Anyways, our lovely readers, remember to please review! It makes us happy to update when we know people like what we write. Laters!!

K&K


	4. Chapter 4

Kateracks: We're back and we come bearing new chapters! Well, only one for now.

KissyNae: And I'm not grounded anymore! Woot! Really, it was the stupidest thing ever and I didn't find out for a long time that I wasn't grounded from people, I was grounded from the computer.

Kateracks: The horror!

KissyNae: Chya, I know. Rawr! Now read.

Disclaimer: Kissy lives in the ghetto and Kat is just poor. Last week we had cookies and pop for lunch because we couldn't afford anything else. Obviously we don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Read on!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

I couldn't tell for sure how long I had been awake as the stars never changed positions outside the window and the sun never rose. I wondered how that was even possible.

How was any of this possible? I wasn't even on my home world anymore and I sure didn't know how I got here. When I woke up, I found myself in a dark room and the stars in the night sky gave off just enough light to see that I was on a bed. There was a large couch beneath the large window, beside that was a vanity, a wall with a dresser, and the fourth wall was bare except for the door.

I had the black sheet pulled up to my chest, covering the new bandage that extended from my shoulder to below the waistband of my pants, probably to my hip. I wasn't exposed but it was cold and it felt weird to be without a shirt.

I heard the thumping of boots down the hall outside but it didn't register until the door squeaked open. I turned from the window back to the door just as a shaft of bright light shot in and blinded me. It was warm and comforting but it hurt at the same time so I flipped over onto my stomach and pulled the sheets over my head as the door opened fully.

The sheets were soon tugged off by a chuckling person. "Come on, you have to get up now. There are people who want to see you." He grabbed my upper arms and sat me back up.

I sensed the familiarity in the person and opened my eyes to prove myself right but immediately shut them again with a wince. A thick, warm liquid slipped down my cheeks. I shielded my eyes and squinted to the side, meeting the sight of Axel looking at me curiously.

"Well, that's not good." He frowned and pulled me up from the bed. I nearly collapsed when my weight was put on my injured hip but Axel had a firm hold on me and was dragging me to the hallway. I screwed my eyes shut at the shining white color of it.

"Axel, what are you doing?" I really didn't feel like standing shirtless in this bright hallway.

"Trust me on this, it's for your own good. Open your eyes."

"That hurts! Why would I want to do that?"

"Just do it. You have to."

I sighed and gradually opened my eyes, trying to allow them to adjust to the sudden brightness. It was happening much slower than it normally should have taken and I was starting to get worried. Then it finally came to my attention that the liquid from before was steadily streaming down my face now as my vision was becoming clearer. A drop of the stuff stained the pure white floor.

"Axel, is that...blood?"

"Sort of. It's blood mixed with tears and darkness."

"My eyes are bleeding and discharging darkness? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You've just been in the dark too long. You'll be alright after a while." He took my elbow and led me back to the room. He walked to the vanity and took up a roll of bandages, using a scrap to wipe the blood away and then using a longer portion to tie around my eyes. I waited while he tugged it tight and then ran the pads of my fingers over it.

"Your eyes will adjust by themselves all throughout today. For now I'll just have to lead you...around." He sighed as I flopped back on the bed to give my hip a rest. It hurt even worse than yesterday. Probably from all that running and jumping. Was that yesterday?

I didn't have a chance to ask as Axel came to the bedside and put my arms around his neck. I hung on and he picked me up bridal style and exited the room. I listened to his footsteps echoing down the hall and the soft swishing of his clothing as we walked.

The silence was almost deafening. This place was so big that I suppose I had expected to hear other people moving about. I couldn't stand it so I asked one of the questions that had been on my mind.

"Axel, did _you_...change my bandages?"

He breathed out a short laugh that tickled the ear that I was resting against his chest. "No, I had another girl do it." I sighed in relief although I didn't really know why.

The silence returned but I didn't let it last for long; I had a bigger question now. "So you heard me, huh? When I called for you?"

"Yeah, I heard you."

"What happened? To my world?"

Axel's steps faltered for a minute and then he calmly replied, "It's gone."

"Useless idiot!" I cursed myself. "How could I be so stupid?"

"I warned you."

"I know, but that just makes it worse. How am I supposed to explain _that_ to the people of my world?"

"What people? Your world is gone and that includes the people, too. Besides, even if they're brought back, no one will remember."

"I guess I was thinking about Violet, mostly," I told him.

He didn't answer and I felt his hand move to another task: opening another door. As we entered, I finally heard what I had been listening for this whole time–people talking. Their voices were bouncing around so it must have been large room. The commotion died down as Axel walked in further and stopped to set me on my feet. I released his neck and gripped his arm so as not to fall while I steadied myself.

I winced at the stabs of pain that ran up my left side from my hip and my grip on Axel's sleeve slipped. I reached my hand out to catch him again but, only feeling air, I let it drop to my side and stood there awkwardly, trying not to fall over.

A door opened somewhere on the far side of the room and I heard more footsteps enter.

"Fae!" I was squeezed in a hug and nearly fell over when I was let go but a hand came onto my back and held me up. I guess Axel wasn't very far away.

"Why is there a bandage around her head?" asked a young voice, more timid than Axel's but older than Roxas's.

"Her dominant element is light so when she was exposed to the darkness, it corrupted her system. Her light is trying to cleanse her body of impurities. If you notice the gray-ish tone to her skin, you'll see her pores have been sweating darkness also." The voice sounded bored and almost made me feel the same as he explained the situation.

"It's truly remarkable what someone so young and small can do," a deep voice rolled over the large room.

"I can work with that," came a voice that sounded intelligent and wise, though soft almost like a grandma...or grandpa? I didn't know.

"Work with what?" Violet inquired. She was trying to sound tough like usual but I knew she was intimidated.

"Yeah, clearly you're Axel's boss," I nodded my head in the direction from which the deep voice had come. "The one that assigned us Guardians. What exactly do you need us for?"

"Really, the main concern was to keep you out of the hands of our enemies." I really wished I could see who was talking with that soft voice. "We couldn't risk you both falling into incapable hands."

"Incapable to do what?" I asked.

"To put your powers to use, of course." My head jerked in the direction of the cold voice.

"I know you!" I cried. "You're the one that brought those overgrown ants to kill off our world!"

"Hmph, hardly," he replied, disgusted. "I would never even consider controlling weak trash such as the Heartless. Our Nobodies are much more efficient. It was our enemy who sent those 'ants', as you call them."

"In all actuality," rose the deep voice. "It was you who brought the destruction upon your world."

"You lie!" I yelled. "I would never–" It wasn't entirely my fault, was it?

"You received a warning and you still refused to cooperate," spoke the cold voice. "If you had come, the Heartless would have been called back as soon as your energy disappeared. Your world would have been in perfect condition, minus two of its inhabitants. I reached you first; _you_ could have saved them but _you_ were selfish."

I could feel Violet looking at me. "Fae? Is what he says true?" I lowered my head and then slowly nodded. "No! So you just let–you let _Brand_...?!"

I felt dizzy and about to retch. I bent slightly to be level with the floor and then let myself drop, my left hand softening the impact of the floor. It was smooth and cold like marble, I noticed absently. I sat back on its flat surface and stared down, trying to see past the bandage on my eyes.

"Brand?" repeated the wise voice.

"How was he attached to you?" asked the deep voice.

"Brand was Fae's brother," Violet answered for me.

"The light of the girls saved him," said a voice with an English accent.

My head rose in their direction. "He's still alive?"

"If you can call being a Dusk living," said Axel. "A newborn Dusk followed you two through the portal yesterday."

"What's a...Dusk?" Violet queried.

"That white thing," I reminded her. "There was only one like it at my house. Is that right?"

"Indeed," boomed the deep voice. "A Dusk is a type of Nobody which is the shell that is created when a strong heart is taken by some form of darkness, in this case, a Heartless. Your attachment to his heart gave him the strength needed to be preserved."

"Can we get him back?" Violet asked next.

"Of course," said the same voice.

"How?" I demanded.

"It's quite simple. We need strength to find our hearts which are in the same location as the one you seek. Join us and you will find it."

"You've lost your hearts, too?" That was Violet again.

"We're stronger and more intelligent than a Dusk but we're Nobodies, too," spoke the timid voice.

"Most of us are anyway," said Axel.

"Hey!" whined Timid.

"Where are they then?" I interjected.

"Kingdom Hearts," replied Deep. "Or rather, a fabricated likeness to the real Kingdom Hearts–a sanctuary for lost hearts to turn to. But we are missing a _key_ component to reach the hearts." Some chuckling went around the large room. "That's where we need your assistance."

"Uh-huh." I dusted my hands on my pant legs and then attempted to stand. Axel grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet. "Okay, I'm in."

"What? Fae!" Violet sputtered.

"What other choice do we have? Let's face it, our world is gone, we don't have anywhere else to go, and the only person left lost his heart. Do you still want to leave?"

I heard her huff. "Fine. I'm in, too."

"Excellent," Deep's voice reverberated around the walls. "We will test the extent of your abilities once you have recovered. For now, Number Eight and Number Nine, they are still in your charge. You are all dismissed." _Still_ in their charge? Oh, so that meant the timid voice following Violet around was Demyx!

I heard a lot of clothes shuffling and then Axel's arms came under my knees. I squirmed uncertainly, not knowing what he wanted me to do.

"You know, since she's so small, it's always easier for me to give her a piggy-back ride," Violet said, snickering at my wiggling.

"I didn't know if that would hurt her," Axel said, setting me back down.

I folded my arms. "I'm not a fragile _doll_, Axel."

"Wonderful," I heard Bored's voice suddenly spring from my side. "Then it won't be easy to break you." (1) I didn't like how he said that, even if his voice never changed tone. His retreating footsteps soon followed.

"Am I the only one that noticed the look Zexy was giving her?" That was Roxas. Violet burst out laughing, then Axel, and lastly Demyx's laughter rang out. "Shut up! I didn't mean _that_ kind of look!" I knew my face was turning red.

"Sure you didn't," choked Axel. After a couple seconds more of me standing there and listening to the laughter, he went on, "You want to help her onto my back?"

I felt Axel crouch before me and Roxas gave out an uneasy "Uh..." while trying to find a way to help me that was comfortable for him. My shoulders didn't work; he was scared to touch my waist.

"_What_ are you _doing_ back there?"

Violet cracked up again and came forward. She leaned me over so I could get my arms around Axel's neck and then she hefted me up by my waist.

"You have to be brave, man," she advised Roxas.

Axel continued to chuckle as he rose and walked off. We traveled for a while, around corners and up a couple flights of stairs. We finally stopped and he opened yet another door.

Once inside, I was dropped onto a bed. I stayed quiet, even after the bed dipped down more meaning Axel had sat beside me. I rubbed my shoulder absentmindedly.

"You alright?" I jumped at the question and then nodded. "You looked like your hip was bothering you earlier, you sure?"

"You don't need to worry about me," I replied.

"Alright, no need to get snippy. ...You're still upset aren't you? It's not your fault, you know? Who would want to go somewhere with a complete stranger anyway?"

"Don't defend me. I should have listened for once. I never listen to anyone."

He chuckled and playfully pushed me over. "Well then, what should make me so special?"

I rolled onto my back. "That was mean."

"Aw, here let me fix it." Taking hold of my pant legs, he jerked them down so that my waistband was on my thighs.

I gasped sharply and threw a fist out toward his face. "What are you doing?"

"Whoa!" He dodged the swing and caught my hand. "Calm down. I can fix some burns because of my control over fire."

I let my hand drop.

He breathed out that short laugh again. "Sorry, I guess I should have warned you."

"No, I think I'm just more uptight because I can't see anything. Like in that room with those people, I didn't know who was talking. It was like, Fae and the Seven Mysterious Voices: Timid, Cold, Deep, Soft, Accent, Bored, and Oldy."

"That's one way to put it."

He had been leaning over me but now he stood from the bed and I heard him flick a light switch to shut the lights off. He returned and his hands went behind my head to undo the bandage. He then went back across the room, fire sparking to life in his hand and lit some candles. That was much easier on my eyes.

He came back to the bed and sat once again, his hand finding the scorched flesh on my hip. The wound became hot and stung as if being stitched together. I let out a pathetic whimper and the burn suddenly froze, cracking like an ice cube put in a glass of water.

Axel hissed and brought his hand back, blowing on it to warm it. "That guy had some messed up fire."

I touched the spot, gingerly at first and then ran my fingers over a long, hard, black scar. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm going to go take a shower to clean this and then I'll take you back to your room. Um, you're going to have to turn to the wall because I, uh, _accidentally_ melted the hinges–and various other metal objects–when I was mad the other day."

I snickered, rolled to the wall, and listened to his footsteps go to the opposite side of the room where the bathroom was.

* * *

–**Axel's POV– **

I leaned against the back wall of the shower and peeked around the edge of the curtain at the girl who was still laying with her back to me. What was so special about them that we had to get to them before the old witch did?

I glanced down to my now un-gloved hand. The bluish-black marks appeared to be like frost bite. That was going to sting for while but at least she feels better.

_Hold on a second. Why should I care? Can I care? _With an aggravated frown and without really paying attention, I jerked on the handle of the shower. I exited by way of cursing and shouting "Ah! That's cold!" while Fae's giggling chimed in my ears.

* * *

Kateracks: Another long one! We're on a roll!

KissyNae: Woot woot! Oh, and here's that note thing. (1) You guys know about Zexion and what he does, so surely you know that wasn't meant to be a perverted comment.

That's about it. Please Review!

Laters!!

K&K


	5. Chapter 5

KissyNae: Thanksgiving Break! Yay! The only bad thing is now I have to spend time with family I don't like.

Kateracks: Yeah, that does suck but I was so ready for this time off!

Disclaimer: Kat is going shopping tomorrow and Kissy spends all her money on Mountain Dew. We don't own Kingdom Hearts

For your enjoyment...

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

–**Fae's POV– **

"That's it, keep it together," Axel coached as I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to let the darkness in my hand escape. "Now shape it into a void that will transport you to the Dark Realm. That's a portal."

I slowly opened my hand to let the void form at my flat palm but I couldn't control the power. A small orb formed from the strands trailing off my hand but it didn't look even close to being a portal. I fed more darkness into my creation, hoping it would grow and flatten into an oval but it only bulged out like a balloon about ready to pop.

And pop it did. I freaked when the fingers of the dark wound up my forearm, daring me to give the ball more of me–to reach out and sink into it. Almost speaking in some unknown language and at the same time, I understood. I gave it more will and the thick, black substance swirled up my arm and to my throat, choking me.

I gasped and withdrew, the bubble breaking and spewing dark at me. I fell over and patted at the stuff still crawling on my sleeve. "Get offa me!"

Axel sighed. "Alright, let's try something else and then we'll come back to this."

* * *

–**Violet's POV– **

"That's awesome!" applauded Demyx at the ball of light in my one hand and the portal at my other. "You're incredible! You learn so fast!"

"I have a great teacher," I told him, happily letting the creations dissipate from view and patting him on the back. "But can I ask you a question?"

He shrugged and stepped closer since I was almost whispering. "Sure."

I lowered my voice more. "Can he even fight?" I tilted my head the slightest bit in Zexion's direction.

Demyx nodded. "He's mostly a strategist so he doesn't fight very often but when he does, it's kind of scary."

"What's his weapon?"

"A book," he replied as if a book was truly scary.

"A book?" I asked, unimpressed.

"Yeah. I know it sounds ridiculous but he really does win fights with his book. I can't really talk about ridiculous, though. I'm still learning, just like you."

"Well, yeah, but you _do_ fight. You don't just stand there staring and making people nervous." He smiled. "So why is he here?"

"In case I screw up, I guess, or in case I need advice. Like I said, I'm still learning so I can't mentor anyone very well."

"You're doing fine," I commended him.

He smiled again and stepped back. "Thanks. Okay, time for the test. You have to use a portal to go to another part of the Castle. According to the Superior, if you pass, you'll get a weapon."

"Great, so it's just going to be like Hide 'n' Seek." I put out my hand for a portal; the wispy oval billowed up from the floor and stood, stable and waiting. I then looked back at Demyx who nodded encouragingly.

"I can track the portal if I want. I'll find you, don't worry."

I smiled over my shoulder at him and then walked into the black mass. As soon as I entered, the hole dissolved and I was off to create another exit. _Hmm_, I pondered. _If I'm supposed to stay in the Castle then I shouldn't go too far. Maybe I should go to the library; that's just a couple flights downstairs. _

I walked a few feet off and then turned right as if that was a downward direction. A few yards later, I stopped and pictured the vast bookshelves of the library in my mind. Stretching out my hand again, I called up a portal out of the darkness and stepped out into the area with chairs. I nearly bumped into a bookcase, having appeared too close but I was fine.

I turned around when I heard clapping to find Demyx seated on the couch and Zexion reading a book. He wasn't interested but Demyx looked proud. "You did it."

Finally realizing my success, I excitedly bounced over to him and slapped him a high-five.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"You want _me _to use one of _my _portals to go somewhere?" I clarified, worry leaking into my voice. Axel nodded as a signal to _just go_ before turning his head, leaving no room for argument.

I put out my hand and concentrated on the darkness to make a portal. Apparently they wanted me to walk around (pretend to be the tough girl and go with no help after only hours of training) and find my way to another part of the Castle via portal.

The power of the dark spun down my arm and spiraled up from the floor to make the opening. It was kind of oval shaped but the edges wavered and it contorted strangely.

I frowned at it sadly and then looked back to Axel. He was now preoccupied with igniting and extinguishing a fireball. Without removing his eyes from the flame in one palm, he held up a finger and moved it back and forth. "Tick tock."

I moved into the black mass and the space beyond and the opening vanished behind me. I observed the Dark Realm that stretched before me and then noticed that my feet were sinking into the black beneath me. Axel had warned me to never stop moving.

I struggled out of the trap and hurriedly walked off in a random direction, the dark still sucking at my legs. _Where to go? The kitchen, I guess, because I'll need a snack after this is over. _

I changed my course to go in a down direction and then turned around completely as if to head down a different hall. My legs seemed to be getting heavier with every movement and I stopped a little short of where I thought my destination would be.

The dark pulled at my feet and I threw out a hand to conjure up an exit. The bubble formed at my fingers and I pushed more energy into it.

_Come on! Kitchen! Kitchen! Grow! Open! _I urged the sphere as, in a panic, I watched the dark devour my knees. _GO!_ The orb blew up and the black inside spurted back onto me. I squeaked as I attempted to rub it from my arms. It stuck and grew, covering my chest, neck, and face. I cried out and struggled more frantically until a hand grasped mine and lifted me out of my attacker. I met the disappointed face of Axel.

* * *

–**Elsewhere/Third Person POV– **

After Violet, Demyx, and Zexion left their report with Xemnas, another Nobody entered the office of the Superior. This one was the unknown owner of the cold voice Fae had heard.

"That one is truly a puzzle but still astounding all the same," the Organization's leader said to the new arrival, nodding his head in the direction the previous three had gone but never looking away from his book. "One would think with the optimistic attitude she has, she would be the Maiden who wields only light and yet she wields both the light and the dark with equal power."

"She's the Maiden that will be connected to the one of total darkness?" guessed the other.

"My thoughts exactly," said the Superior. "And what of the other in Eight's charge?"

"Her progress is poor, marginal at best," the other informed Xemnas. "The Dark Realm nearly claimed her. Her light powers are marvelous but she fears the dark and cannot wield it."

"That won't do," sighed Xemnas, finally shutting his book. "We need both to be at their maximum with both elements in order to aid us."

"What should we do?"

"We should call a meeting tonight, before dinner," the leader decided at last. "I believe it's time Number Four began a new project. Send for him at Castle Oblivion." The other bowed and left.

* * *

–**Violet's POV– **

"So, what kind of weapon do you want?" Demyx asked me.

"Something unique that isn't overworked," I responded thoughtfully. "Like a flail."

"Flail?" Demyx repeated. "Sounds like what happens when Larxene pushes me down the stairs."

I giggled. "No, a flail is like an iron stick with a chain attacked and something sharp on the end."

"Sounds like something Xaldin would have."

He walked down another flight of stairs and then turned a corner to go to this 'Xaldin' guy's room. We stopped in front of a tall door with the Roman Numeral for three engraved into its surface. Demyx knocked and then took a large step back as if expecting it to fly open and crack him in the head. Instead the door opened a bit to show a tall guy with wacky sideburns, deep blue eyes, and black dreadlocks, holding a blue lance.

"What do you want, Nine?" he demanded in a weird accent.

"Superior said she can choose a weapon now."

He observed me for a second, probably judging what weapon would be right and then opened the door. "Come in. What sort of weapon do you have in mind?"

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"How come you can do it and I can't?"

Axel turned his head to glance at me over his shoulder. "I've practiced and I'm not scared of the dark like you are."

I turned to the side and stared at the Dusk that was stretching along beside me. He had found us in the hall and decided to follow so I only assumed he was Brand. He had kept really close to me the whole time we had been walking, most likely keeping an eye on his little sister and whoever the new guy was.

"Why can I help others resist being totally consumed by darkness but I can't do it myself?"

"Light is what you're used to and dark resists light. Dark hurt you once and you're just worried it will do it again. But you don't need to be afraid of it, you just need to channel that energy into overcoming its power. Got it memorized?"

I sighed. "Sure."

"Fae!" I looked up to find Violet coming toward me, carrying something in her hand and Demyx running close behind.

"Look what I got!" She held out a flail with a long chain leading to a piece of metal that looked like many stars welded together. "Xaldin's going to teach me how to use it. He said it will take a lot of work but I think I'll learn. What do you think?"

"I think that's great. Just great."

* * *

Kateracks: The Double K's commandeth you to review because...it makes us happy.

Kissynae: Chya, seriously, it doesn't take much time to click the purple button and tell us to 'update soon' or something.

Kateracks: I mean, I'm not normally greedy or anything but jeez! Basically what we're saying is...

Please Review!

Laters!!

K&K


	6. Chapter 6

Kateracks: Not much to say here so we'll just go straight into the chapter.

KissyNae: Rawr!

Disclaimer: Kat is still broke but Kissy just started a new job so maybe she owns Kingdom Hearts. (Checks) Nope, she still doesn't make enough money.

Read on!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

I sat on the upper level of the training area with my legs dangling over the edge while I watched Violet work with her flail. Xaldin was down there giving her pointers and Demyx was being a cheering squad on the sidelines.

I felt Axel approach even though I kept my forehead on the railing. I had become accustomed to recognizing his heat signature whenever he was near even if I couldn't see him. He hadn't been around for a couple days but he had also become accustomed to sensing when something was wrong with me.

"Jealous?"

My brows creased. "Green with envy."

"Why?"

_Maybe because I haven't progressed any in my training,_ I thought but decided against saying it. "I'm used to doing well at what I try so I'm not liking failure all that much. Now I'm only worthy of sitting and watching."

"You just need more practice, that's all. Don't sweat it."

I ignored his comment and looked to the other side of the upper level when a boy entered, his silver hair bobbing as he walked and his aqua eyes focused on the training session below. He had on a tight body suit thing that looked to be almost a second skin for him. It was black, blue, and purple in color but mostly black and had a red Heartless symbol on the chest. A grass half-skirt type of thing was wrapped around his waist.

"Vexen's back, huh?" Axel spoke to someone behind me. It was Roxas.

"Yep."

"And he brought his latest project, I see."

"Yeah, a clone of _his_ best friend. You met him?"

"Yep, when I went to Castle Oblivion the other day. He's not a bad guy, just trying to exist like the rest of us."

Whose best friend was this clone made from? I was thoroughly confused by now. He looked normal just like Violet and me. And he wasn't bad-looking either, if I did say so myself.

"Why are you back so soon? I know how you like to pick on Marly and Larxene."

"Well, I had to check up on _her_. Roxas treating you okay?" Axel asked, jokingly since he didn't seriously think Roxas would neglect me.

I turned and nodded.

"Anyway, Naminé did something to his memories before we left."

"So does he still remember you?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, I think so. He probably has some memories of all of us. Even you."

"But mostly Sora, right? That's what this whole project was about." Roxas walked off toward the exit as the clone began to make his way over. "Which means I shouldn't be here. We can't risk him remembering the truth of how I got here."

"Roxas!" I called. Violet and I had both gotten attached to the blonde over the time he had been with us and didn't like him out of our sight.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to my room."

I watched him leave and then looked back to Violet who was now closer to my side of the arena. She knocked one of Xaldin's lances to the side and wrapped another in the chain. I found myself ducking when she jerked back and the lance came free, zipping past my ear and pinning itself in the upper portion of the wall behind me.

Violet screamed and then yelped, "Sorry!" before she was again back to defending herself.

"That's why I use a sword." I jumped from the new voice at my side and turned my head to see the clone. He was positioned casually against the railing, staring at me as if he had been there for some time.

"Um, hi? What's your name?" That was a dumb question but he snuck up on me.

"Riku," he responded. "Which one are you?"

"Huh?"

"The new girls. Which one are you?"

"I'm Fae." I pointed into the arena. "That's Violet."

"I assumed that." I raised an eyebrow. "I've heard about you."

Great. I didn't want random people knowing about me. Dirt is always used for blackmail in the end.

Violet screamed again and dodged to the side when her flail ricocheted off of the swing Xaldin had made and came back at her, just missing her skull. It crashed into the wall underneath my feet. It missed...but not by a lot.

"I think it's time we worked on force," Xaldin sighed in exasperation.

Riku laughed. "And I think it's time you moved." He offered his hand to me and I turned to Axel for his approval but he wasn't there anymore.

"He'll be back," said Riku.

I gave his hand a blank stare for a minute but a minute is all it took for Violet to, once again, put too much force behind her swing. This time the flail slipped from her hand and crashed right into the place where I was sitting–or where I used to be sitting. Before I could even gasp, the clone had bent down, picked me up bridal style, and leapt out of the way. Violet shouted another apology but I was too busy wondering what happened to realize it.

Then I noticed I was in the clone's arms and I knew he had saved me. He was heading over to a safer location and I was reminded of how much I hated being carried this way. But, at the same time, I was amazed at how squishy and flexible the suit he had on was. It was like it had molded into a part of him, moving with his muscles and making it too easy to feel what was underneath.

_Curse my teenage hormones._

He stopped by the stands near the exit and set me down before spreading himself out on the seat next to me.

"So," I began after a moment of awkward silence. "How much _do_ you know about me?"

"Whatever Vexen knows."

"Vexen?"

He nodded. "He's been helping me find a friend of mine. Sometimes you have to keep them in line."

"Oh." More silence. What was his friend doing that he had to keep him in line for?

"Why are you afraid of the dark?" Riku asked me unexpectedly.

I lowered my head so he couldn't see my expression. "I don't know," I answered quietly. "It's just mysterious and unpredictable."

"Well, so is Axel but you trust him, don't you?" asked the clone.

"Yeah, but..." He was right but that was a different matter. Axel controlled a form of light so I felt like we were connected in some way.

"I just don't know," I finally told him. "Axel says it's because I control the light and light resists darkness." To prove it, I made a pillar of white between my hands.

"So you try to resist it as well? You need to embrace the dark; it will make you stronger. Just look at _her_."

I again looked into the arena and saw Violet's success. "I know. That's what everyone keeps telling me. I guess I just don't know what I want."

The door on the other side of the upper level where Riku had entered before opened and Violet came though. I hadn't noticed that they were finished.

At the same time, someone by the exit near us called, "Riku!" It was that wise voice I heard when I was blind.

"You better decide soon," the clone advised when he stood up.

"Why?"

He cast a glance over his shoulder. "It's good to know what you want so you know when to fight for it." With that and a nod to the arriving Violet, he left with the blonde man that had called him.

"Who was that?" Violet asked.

"A clone of someone. He said his name was Riku."

"Hmm..." She looked after him and then wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him."

"Me either. He smelled like darkness."

"Oh, well, I guess that, too, but I don't like him because he looked like one of those girly bad boys. What was he doing sitting by you?"

"What everyone else has been doing–trying to get me to accept the darkness so I can gain control over it."

"Did it work this time?"

I shrugged, still watching the place where the silver haired clone had disappeared from. "We'll see. I still don't know what I want but I'm starting to get an idea."

* * *

–**Elsewhere in the Castle That Never Was–**

Six of Organization XIII's members were engaged in an important conversation in a dark room. They could not risk any of the other members or the two girls finding out about their plans.

"We're agreed then?" rumbled the Superior. Everyone present nodded. "Number Three, you shall tell Number Nine and his charge that they do not have to train tomorrow. Number Eight will not be told of the change and will bring his charge to the arena as always."

"And that's when we capture her," said Vexen.

"Precisely. Number Four, do you have the sedative ready?"

"I can have it ready by the end of this evening," Vexen assured the Superior.

"What exactly are you going to do with her?" wondered the surfer-like voice of Xigbar.

"Nearly the same transformation as I made the Riku Replica go through. I will attempt to remove any light where darkness should be present and fill it in."

"What will we do with Axel?" Saïx's cold voice asked from the shadows of the room.

"There will be nothing he can do," said Xemnas.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"You really told that cheerleader she looked like an ogre?" Roxas cracked up at the Violet moment we had shared with him. His head lightly thumped against my stomach where he was resting it as he shook with laughter.

"Man, this guy's really cool," Violet stated. "I want him for a while." She grabbed his arm.

"No, he's mine!" I held onto his torso and pulled back on him.

"Fae," she scolded.

"Violet."

"Do you like girls fighting over you, Roxas?" asked Axel as he stepped from a portal.

"Actually," He pulled away from Violet and rubbed his wrist. "It kind of hurts."

"Ha! I win!" I cried excitedly and hugged Roxas.

"You eat cat poop," Violet sulked.

"No, Violet, you eat cat poop!"

Axel looked down at Roxas as he continued to lay in my lap. "How come you just sit there and they fight over you but when I try to fix a burn on her hip, _she_ tries to clock me?"

"Because you suck," said a grinning Roxas.

"Fae's too good for you," Violet told the redhead. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "She's too good for any guy and if I ever see the one that tried to hurt her, I'm gonna mutilate him with my flail. I would have saved her last time but Demyx came and found me."

At 'Demyx' the blonde rock star jumped through a portal and called, "Present!"

"Hey, forget you!" Violet said, pointing at Roxas. "I can have Demyx instead!" She grabbed him in a head lock until Demyx somehow got away and then they settled in an armchair near the door.

"So, how exactly would you have saved Fae if you didn't have your flail?" asked Roxas.

Violet sat up straight and spouted dramatically, "First, I would have thrown a chair at him. Then I would have kicked him in the goo-goo and been like, 'You don't tell her!'" Demyx apparently found this very funny.

I glanced down at the unsuspecting Roxas and squished him in a hug again, announcing, "You have officially been hugged by Fae."

He pumped a fist in the air. "Yes!"

"Aw," I cooed. "You're so cute, Roxas!"

"Fae, you're making Axel sad," Violet informed me.

"Poor Axel. You can come here." He sauntered over and took a seat behind me and Roxas so I gave him a backwards hug.

"I'm sure we'd enjoy this a lot more if we had real emotions."

"Don't spoil it, Axel," chided Roxas and then requested of us, "Tell us another story."

"Well," I began. "One time Violet and I were put in charge of a soup 'n' pie supper..."

* * *

KissyNae: The ending may have made the girls seem out of their usual character but we thought it would be good to let them have some fun.

Kateracks: Just to show that they were settling into their new surroundings a little before we were mean to them again. :)

Review Please!! Just say _something_. Anything.

Laters!!

K&K


	7. Chapter 7

KissyNae: Sadly, nothing cool has happened but Christmas Break is coming up and Kat is having company so maybe we'll have some good stories next time we update. Oh wait, something exciting did just happen. Kat's grandma brought some good cherry stuff! Yay! Ooh, yeah, and I'm getting some glasses. They are emo glasses–black and pink.

Kateracks: (Rolls eyes) So anyway, before some more random things occur, I think we should go into the chapter.

Disclaimer: Kissy's car doesn't have any tread on the tires so if she turns a corner at 5 mph, she does a cookie and Kat's car can't drive on ice at all. If we can't afford to keep our lives safe with good cars, how can we afford Kingdom Hearts?

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

I fell asleep in Roxas's room last night while telling stories about me and Violet's adventures and our experiences with various classmates. Demyx and Violet left after I kept telling stories Violet didn't want people to hear but I stayed behind with Roxas and Axel. Lucky me, I woke up between both of them.

Judging by the fact that Roxas's arm was over my middle, he's not too shy anymore and Axel's back was up against mine. If the arm didn't give me a sense of comfort, that certainly would.

There was a tugging on my foot and I looked down to a Dusk pulling at my shoe. It lifted its head at me, swaying like usual and I knew who it was.

"Guys, get up. Brand's pissed," I chuckled.

Roxas bolted into a sitting position. "It wasn't me! I didn't touch the milk!" Axel rolled over and fell off the bed.

I looked at Brand. "There are you happy now?" He just swayed some more and then wiggled away.

Roxas grumbled something about 'too early' (even though it was probably eight o'clock) and shooed Axel and I out of his room.

Axel sighed, rubbing the spot on his head where it connected with the hard, white floor. "Well, now that we're awake, what do you say to some breakfast?" I didn't even have a chance to answer since he was already leading me down the hall to the kitchen.

The dining room that usually held a brooding Xaldin or plotting Xemnas was now empty except for a couple Dusks that were cleaning up the leftovers of whoever ate there last. I thought it was a little strange since it wasn't late enough in the morning for us to have missed breakfast completely.

Casting aside my thoughts, I toasted a piece of bread and hopped up on the counter to watch Axel eat whatever was left in the refrigerator. I wondered where the Organization got their food and if they actually went to a grocery store but I traded that question for a comment about Axel's figure. That almost got my butt (which was near the stove) roasted.

Several apologies later, we finally decided to go watch Violet and Demyx train.

* * *

–**Violet's POV– **

"Why do you think they let us off today?" I pondered aloud to Demyx.

He shrugged and shined a spot on the instrument in his lap. "I don't mind, though. Now I can practice my sitar."

"You can play that thing? I thought it only controlled water when you fought." (1)

"It can do a lot of things–play music, be a weapon, and a companion..." He trailed off and played a few awkward notes.

"A companion?" I asked.

"I don't have a lot of friends in the Organization. Everyone is annoyed by me."

"But you have Axel and Roxas, don't you?"

"I wasn't really their friend before this, just caught in the middle sometimes. I'm only now getting to know them more because of you and Fae. Before now, my music was the only thing that kept me company."

"That's sad," I mumbled sympathetically.

He perked up. "But now that you're here, I have someone to play for! ...Unless that will annoy you." He looked up at me shyly from his spot on the floor, a few strands of hair in his eyes.

"No, I love music! Play for me!"

He jumped up and twirled his instrument to its frontal position, spreading his legs some so that he could play more comfortably.

He began to perform an upbeat tune, water dancing around him and spraying the wall, furniture, and me. His fingers flew up and down the strings, plucking just the right notes while his head was bobbing to keep the beat.

He paused once and gave his backup players (water clones) a chance at a solo while he pulled me up to dance, jerking me from side to side and twirling me around. He then went back to playing while I free-styled for a minute, doing any style of dance that I knew. It reminded me of the good times we used to have in Fae's room with the music blaring and us dancing, no matter how goofy we may have looked.

When the music was finished, Demyx had a cramp in his hand and we were both dripping. I laughed and plopped back on the bed.

"Well, that certainly works up an appetite doesn't it?"

Demyx waved his other hand and a Dusk appeared before me. "He'll get you what you want."

"Um, an egg with toast, an orange, and a glass of milk would be nice." I looked hopefully back at Demyx.

"A healthy eater, huh?"

I shrugged. "It comes from my cheerleading days."

Demyx looked back at the Dusk. "You heard her. The lady wants a healthy breakfast."

The Dusk floated into the air, curled up and wiggled off down the hall and to the kitchen. I hoped it actually knew what all of those things were.

"So where do you think Fae and Axel are?" I asked.

Demyx shrugged again. "Probably still spooning with Roxas; they both seem to like him a lot. Weirdos."

"I like Roxas. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, he's just kind of quiet sometimes and it creeps me out. What could he be thinking about?"

"How much he likes me better than Fae?" I suggested.

He laughed now. "Are you still sore about that?"

"Yeah. I befriended Roxas first." (2)

"That doesn't mean he likes either one of you better than the other."

"I know, I'm just messing around." I smiled at him to show I was telling the truth. It really didn't matter to me because I knew Fae needed a friend like Roxas. She wasn't too good at attracting people since she was so quiet and didn't trust people easily. That's why I was her only true friend...for now, at least. After this whole experience, I hoped she'd have a few more.

He nodded and played a few more notes. "It's a good thing he's not permanently attached to you. If he was, I wouldn't stand a chance at getting to spend some time with you." His eyes widened after he said that and he clapped a hand over his mouth. He's so insecure.

My smile softened. "Yeah, you would."

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"Where do you think everyone is?" I wondered.

Axel shook his head to signify that he didn't know either. "Maybe they're watching Violet destroy the training area with her flail. It would be easier if this castle wasn't so big. I'm going to have some serious muscles after this workout."

"You have to have something on you to turn into muscle first." He pinched my side and I yelled.

"Would you quit commenting on my weight? I don't comment on yours."

"You're mean!" I cried.

"What? That pinch? That was just a–uh..."

"Love pinch?" Axel jumped away from the silver haired teen who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Jeez, man, don't sneak up on me like that! I could have fried you!" Axel exclaimed. "Hey, wait a minute. Love pinch? I don't think so. Hasn't anyone explained the subject of Nobodies to you yet? We can't love."

"So Vexen's told me but that doesn't stop Demyx and Violet. I don't know if they've started anything but they're good friends."

"Yeah, but haven't you noticed? They've both been a little–"

"Fruity?" I finished for him.

"Not what I was going to use to describe Violet but sure."

"If you say so. Maybe they're just more developed than the rest of you," said Riku to Axel. He began to walk the way we had come but Axel stopped him.

"Where are you going anyway?"

The clone stopped. "Marluxia wants me back at the castle. My friend is getting out of line again."

I smiled. "Don't be too hard on him."

Riku smiled, too, and then continued down the hall, calling over his shoulder, "We'll see."

"Making friends with the puppet? That's something I thought you would avoid."

"Why?" I questioned the redhead.

"Because he controls the darkness and you're scared of the darkness. I figured you'd make friends with someone of the light–someone like Roxas's Somebody."

"Who's that?"

"The clone didn't tell you? His best friend is Sora, as in 'Roxas' scrambled and without an 'x'. He's the 'Master of the Keyblade' that everyone's always talking about."

"So he's going to beat up his best friend who is like Roxas?" Axel nodded but that didn't make any sense to me. Roxas was a good person and so this Sora person had to be a good person, too, right? So why would Riku feel the need to beat him up?

We continued down the hall and down two more flights of stairs. At the end of this hall was the arena. You could get to the rest of the Castle by passing through one of the levels in the arena so I expected to see at least one person idling around. However, no one was there, not even Demyx or Violet.

"Where did they _go_?" I demanded.

Arms encircled my waist and jerked me away from Axel's side to be held up against a new chest. I wriggled against the firm hold and tried to turn to look at my captor but only caught a glimpse of blue hair.

"Don't worry, we haven't gone anywhere," they whispered. It was Cold from my blind spell–one of the few members of the Organization I still hadn't met.

"Where are you taking her?" Axel yelled over my frightened struggling as Cold dragged me further away from one of the only people I trusted.

Xaldin blocked his path and I panicked, pulling harder at Cold's arms, all the time calling, "Axel!"

* * *

–**Axel's POV– **

Fae had grown frantic by now and kept struggling against Saïx and repeating my name.

"Don't try to help her," Xaldin told me.

"What are you going to do with her?" I growled.

"We're going to help her accept the darkness," Vexen told me slyly. Whenever he uses that tone, something is always up and it usually is something I'm not going to like.

"You can't do that!" I objected.

"I can and I will. I have orders from the Superior to help Zexion fix her little _problem_."

Finally, Fae struggled enough that her arm was free and she clawed at Saïx's face, leaving four long gashes. I smirked proudly at her but that just made things worse.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

I looked at my hand in an almost horrified manner as I felt the blood on my fingers. I only meant to shock him for a second, not draw blood.

The person behind me loosened their grip enough that I could turn and see what I had done along with his blue hair, orange eyes, and 'x' shaped scar.

"Saïx, let her go!" Axel commanded.

I almost dropped dead. This was Saïx? I had heard a lot of things that Saïx had done from Demyx and Roxas and none of them were pretty. I could only imagine what he would do to a next-to-helpless girl like me.

I fought harder but already his strong grip had come back and threatened to break my wrists. As a last resort, I brought light to my hands and attempted to blast him across the room. His eyes narrowed and he slammed a knee into my stomach. I probably would have retched had I ate more than a piece of toast for breakfast.

"That wasn't necessary," Axel called.

"Just end this, man," said a surfer voice off to my side.

I clenched a fist, ready to punch the blue haired man but he saw that, too, and twisted my arm, sending me to the floor. My arm was held up straight behind me.

I began to cry, not only from the pain I was in but because I couldn't even put up a decent fight. Axel watched in mild surprise as the water splashed onto the floor and my eyes pleaded to him for help.

Vexen bent beside the arm Saïx had a hold on and produced a syringe from his pocket. I sobbed and closed my eyes.

"You've wanted to be a strong, successful fighter, correct?" I sobbed again in response. "You will."

The cool metal pierced my skin, sending cold, thick liquid into my veins and stealing my consciousness from me.

* * *

Kateracks: So like, Kissy said up there, I'm having company over Christmas Break so we don't know for sure when we'll be able to update again. Oh yeah, about those numbered parts...

(1) I was going to change everything from this point on down to the break because I thought it was dumb but Kissy thought it was funny and wanted me to leave it the way it was. Hopefully the rest of you will feel the same.

(2) Fae met Roxas first but Violet was the one who actually befriended him once they got were in the Castle for a while. Fae went along with it because she trusts Violet and, over a little more time, decided that she could trust Roxas to be her friend, too. Just wanted to clarify that.

KissyNae: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget...

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	8. Chapter 8

Kateracks: AH!! It's been a while! Sorry. Christmas Break was really busy for me this year. I actually had stuff to do.

KissyNae: Yeah, and we didn't get to hang out as much as I wanted to. Oh well. We're here with a brand new chapter so you should be happy!

Kateracks: So since we were gone so long, we won't keep you waiting.

Disclaimer: Kat only has three dollars and Kissy is saving up for an X-Box 360. We don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Read on!!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

–**Violet's POV– **

"Have you heard anything yet, Demyx?" I asked hopefully as we stepped out of the portal and onto a winding blue path.

"No, not yet. Sorry, Vi, but they hardly ever tell me anything, you know that."

"I know but it was worth a try. I'm just worried, that's all."

Hardly a minute had passed in the last five days where I hadn't stopped and thought about my red-haired friend with her new blonde hightlights. I wasn't able to read any of Demyx's lyrics without feeling like her grey eyes were peering over my shoulder. I was past worried at this point.

"Don't worry too much. Axel's with her and he'll take good care of her."

"I know, I'm just paranoid. I've always watched out for Fae..." I shook my head. He's right, I'm should stop worrying so much. Fae's a big girl and she can take care of herself. "Anyway, what are we doing here and where is here?"

"We are near the postern of Hollow Bastion and we are supposed to be looking for Ansem's study. The Superior wants some information from it."

"Who is Ansem?" I asked, still trying to get my mind away from Fae and her whereabouts.

"It's a long story and I'm not sure I have all the details." _Way to ruin my distraction._ "All that you need to know is that he was interested in studying the workings of the heart. So if you find an office filled with stuff about hearts, it's a safe bet that you find the right place."

"So this is basically just to see if I can follow orders?" I clarified.

Demyx smiled. "Basically. So I guess you go that way and I'll go this way." He gestured for me to follow the path downhill and I nodded in understanding before walking away.

Not having a companion there to chat with didn't do anything for my distraction plan so I decided to pay particular attention to my surroundings. The walls were a smooth blue with a lot of pipes showing every few feet. The ground was grey and had purple metal squares and wire grates set into it. I would guess they were there to cover up dangerous holes in the path. There were some random boards laying on the ground and a fountain or two positioned on the walls, I noticed, as I started walking up a set of blue stone steps.

_Fae would like all the blue in this place...until she tripped over one of the wire grates on the ground._ I sighed. _So far my plan isn't working._

As I rounded the corner and headed into a stone structure, I spotted a good-looking blonde guy standing near a window overlooking a rundown castle. _Hello distraction!_

I made sure my steps were louder than normal as I entered the area and put on a show looking around. He turned his head in my direction but didn't say anything at first. It's a good thing I don't have an Organization cloak or he might be wary of me.

"Are you lost?" he eventually asked in a calm tone.

It was then that I realized I didn't know what I was should tell him I was looking for. If I told him I was looking for an office with stuff about hearts in it, he would become suspicious. _What was that name of that guy again? Oh yeah._

"I'm looking for a guy named Ansem. Do you know where I can find him?"

"He's not here," he replied shortly and turned back to the window. "He was once but he's not anymore."

"Great, then this whole trip was for nothing." I huffed, stomping my foot and trying my best to look cute. He didn't say anything, just kept staring out the window. I decided to try another attempt at conversation. "What's your name?"

He was silent for so long that I thought he was just going to ignore me before he finally answered. "Cloud."

"I'm Violet," I introduced as I walked up to the window and leaned on the stone.

"Because of your hair?"

I laughed and twisted a lock of my purple hair around my finger. "No, I dyed it after I was named Violet. I thought it would be cool if my hair matched my name."

He didn't say anything again but since his voice was so pleasant to listen to, I tried something else. "How did you know about Ansem? Do you live here?"

"Not really."

"Do you ever give answers in complete sentences?"

"Occasionally."

I sighed good-naturedly, turned away from the view of the castle, and smiled at him but he didn't take notice. Then I saw the hand waving at me from the door I had used to enter. Demyx's head poked around the corner and he gestured for me to leave with a jerk of his thumb.

"Well, I guess if Ansem's not here, there's no point in me staying. I better go find my buddy and get out of here."

"I guess so." But he was the one that got up and walked away first. Not in the direction of Demyx, thank goodness, but out another door with a gate. _Well,_ _that was a little rude._

"Who was that?" Demyx asked when I walked toward him.

"Just some guy. I asked him about Ansem but he said he didn't know anything."

"Oh well, that's doesn't matter. I found the study so we better report back to the Superior."

Just like that and we were leaving? I guess it didn't matter. I could use portals now and I was determined to see Cloud again and next time, I was going to make an impression on him.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

When my consciousness met me, it decided to _throw_ me back into reality instead of gently carrying me back.

I writhed atop whatever I was on and arched my back against the painfully hard surface. Everything hurt–every fiber, every skin cell. I thought I had been introduced to agony when my shoulder was stabbed but this was far beyond worse.

I strained against whatever bonds held me, determined to find the source of my pain but I couldn't get free. Any movement only brought more hurt to me.

"Oh, stop it. You'll only cause yourself more pain."

I almost bawled at how calm Vexen's voice was. It was almost as calm as when he was first putting me to sleep for the procedure. I had been so riled up at the time that I didn't focus on his words, only catching the phrase, "You will wake up unharmed in a short time." Somehow, that quieted my nerves since I knew that the result was inevitable but I hardly felt he had kept his promise now.

I heard him murmur to someone else in the room, "Here, give these to her."

A tear actually did make a trail down my face when an arm slid behind my head. That touch was more painful than the person doing it could ever know. Gloved fingers began to massage my jaw to relax my stiff mouth and persuade it to open. Once it was, the person put a couple pills into my mouth and then held a cup to my lips. _Are they trying to sedate me again?_ I swallowed the water but kept the pills in my cheek.

"She _is_ clever, isn't she?" asked a familiar voice but, for the life of me, I could not remember where I had heard it. "She swallowed around the pills." _Why are they talking about me like I'm not here? They know I'm awake. _

The cup was held to my mouth again and the voice went on, "They're just pain relievers and muscle relaxants. Calm down."

This time I did down the pills just because the promise sounded too good to resist but that didn't mean I wasn't still hesitant about it. They worked practically instantly, allowing the pain to recede a bit and my eyes to open. I leaned into the arm and slowly raised my eyes to the owner.

What I saw was far from what I had expected. The boy that held me was my age if not only a year or so older. He had steel gray hair that was brushed messily to one side and covered his right eye. He must have been one heck of a genius if he was working with Vexen and understood what the crazy scientist had to say.

"Who are you?" I croaked.

He was quiet for a second and then answered, "Zexion." Now it finally came to me. This was the voice that I had dubbed Bored. This was _definitely_ not what I expected to see when I met him.

"How long have I been out?" I wondered and then a more important question presented itself. "What have you done to me?"

"You've been asleep a few days since I've been here but Vexen has been at work longer than I have."

"But what did you _do_?" I asked again. As far as I could tell, I was in a full body suit much like the one the Riku clone wore only mine was just black and purple. It had no symbol on the chest either but it did have the gloves and boots that I liked so much.

"We've only awakened the half of you that should be darkness."

I looked at my attire again. "Looks like I'm _all_ darkness now."

"You're stronger side is the darkness now, that's why you look like this."

"But I didn't want the darkness! Not permanently! I was..." Did I really have a plan? I couldn't think straight.

"How is she?"

Zexion turned his head to speak over his shoulder but continued to look at me when he said, "She's awake and starting to comprehend."

"Ah, very well then. You may take a break now if you wish." Vexen came into my line of view as Zexion's arm slipped out from under my head. I was almost sad to see him go.

Vexen looked calculatingly at me over the spectacles resting studiously on his nose; the blue eyes behind chilled me just from the gaze. I turned my eyes down to my new boots in an attempt to escape their sight but I could still feel them lingering on me after I did so. Finally, though, he turned away and picked up a clipboard, scribbling on the paper attached to its surface.

"How do you feel?" he asked casually.

I looked back at him and then snorted, turning my head toward the wall. "As if you care."

"Of course I do."

"No, you don't. You can't _care_, you don't have a heart."

"All scientists care about their experiments."

If I hadn't been so angered by the fact that he has just called me an _experiment_ I wouldn't have given in to his mind game. But as luck would have it, I had just woken up from more sleep than I usually got and I was feeling feisty.

I glared over at him. "So that's all I am now? An experiment? Not the person you needed to help you get your hearts with my powers of light and dark? I didn't want this–didn't want the dark so if that's the case, you can just dispose of me right here and now."

"No need to be so glum." He ran his eyes over my body as if checking for an injury. "I've not harmed you; I've merely liberated the power you were lacking."

"More like implanted it."

"You may take it any way you like. But you're not in pain, at any rate."

"Where have you been the last five minutes?"

"Ah, but due to my kindness, you're not now, are you? The least you could do to repay me is answer my questions."

"I don't have to do jack. You forced me into this."

Vexen sighed, slowly rubbing his temples before coming to a decision. "I don't usually give orders but as I've put a lot of time and energy into your transformation, I'm quite tired. Now, I want you to answer my questions and stop putting up such a fuss. You don't have much of a choice–not if you hope to be freed anyway."

I sighed and glanced around the dark laboratory. The door was still ajar from when Zexion left, casting a golden glow onto the island counter in the middle of the room that served as a work station. It was cluttered with beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen Burners. Papers with graphs, drawings, and reports were scattered everywhere, even on the floor. There also were counters on the wall behind me which had built-in sinks. Cabinets adorned the walls.

Eerie colorful glows danced across the walls from potions of varying shades and solutions with objects inside. The lights had been kept off, probably to build the power of darkness within me.

"I'm...still kind of drowsy. The light hurts my eyes and I have this weird taste in my mouth. It's gross, like I ate some juicy, black licorice. That's the taste of darkness, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Do you feel more powerful?"

I flexed my muscles under the black suit. "My muscles feel taut like I'm eager to fight but you're also restricting my powers. Can I get up? I won't fight...there's no point."

He studied me again as if to see if I really was telling the truth. Finally deciding I had actually given up, he pushed some release switches on my arms and legs. I rubbed my wrists and swung my legs over the edge of the table.

Immediately, I felt power wash over me and a rush like adrenaline surged into my veins. It was the kind of excited rush that feels like your heart just jumped into your throat. Like when you find out you just won a trip to the place you've always wanted to go and you want to run laps around the house to find everything you have to pack.

"Do you like it?" Vexen asked.

I smiled. So far I did but I hadn't even tried to use the power yet. "I don't know. Let me take it for a test run."

As soon as I set my feet flat on the ground, that rush kicked in and I took off, running laps around the island counter. My hip didn't plague me and I didn't tire out easily like I usually did. I stopped abruptly and began kicking and punching the air just to feel all my muscles working in the unison that I couldn't perfect in my training. I then decided to try something else I had failed at and held my hand straight out from my side. A portal billowed up from the floor and stood stable, waiting for me to use it.

Now it was time for the real test. I held my hand up to my face and turned the palm upward toward the ceiling, concentrating on what little light I could still find within myself. A ball of light about the size of a bowling ball grew over my palm and then shot upward, colliding with the ceiling and sending shafts of light bouncing around the room.

I happily turned to talk to Vexen and then found my body automatically bending backwards as a string of ice was launched at me. It flew just over my face and hit the wall behind me. I looked back at it in awe and then toward Vexen.

"Did I just dodge that?" I asked, pointing back at the frozen mound.

He nodded, pleased with how well his work was performing. But he didn't expect me to be so pleased with it either. I caught him in a hug and then jumped back up on the table I had been laying on when I had awakened, showing my cooperation.

"I'll answer any questions you ask."

Vexen smirked. "Good. Then I think it will be time for us to put your new abilities to the test."

* * *

A special thanks to **bethy-lil-shy-girl** because she reminded us a few chapters ago that we still hadn't introduced the girls' looks yet. Hopefully they weren't too out of place in this chapter. We tried to work them in where they would flow with the rest of the chapter but who knows?

Hope you liked the update and please comment. This is where we start running out of ideas and welcome any you readers might have.

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	9. Chapter 9

Kateracks: Whoa! Sorry again, guys. I totally forgot about this story there for a while. We've been doing college stuff and taking tests and the like so we haven't had time to work on this. Plus we're still totally out of ideas.

KissyNae: I don't think they care, Kat.

Kateracks: Just thought I'd throw that out there. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Neither of us have had time to work toward owning Kingdom Hearts.

Read on!!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

–**Axel's POV– **

So far I had managed to avoid everyone left at The Castle That Never Was as I made my way to my room for more supplies. Of course, I could have just taken a portal to my room but I had gotten lost in my thoughts and by the time I had realized it, I was nearly there anyway. Now all I had to do was make it down the hall and I was home free.

"Axel!"

_Darn, so close._ "Hey Vi, Dems."

"Don't you 'Hey Vi' me! I haven't seen you or Fae in nearly a week! Where have you two been?" She ranted, storming up to me. Then she noticed we were still one short. "Where's Fae?"

"She's at Castle Oblivion on a mission," I lied smoothly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Nice try, Axel, but I know that first missions don't take this long, especially if you can't fight."

"Well, she doesn't have that problem anymore," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" I turned to walk away but she grabbed my shoulder. "Axel, what do you mean? What happened?" I didn't face her. "She's my best friend, I have to know what happened. Please, Axel? Please?"

I could even feel Demyx's questioning gaze on me. Eventually I gave in just so she'd let me go; I didn't have time for road blocks. "Alright, I'll tell you if you don't yell anymore."

She nodded and I took a deep breath before explaining, "That day you two were let off from training, we were ambushed in the arena. Apparently Superior ordered Vexen and Zexion to implant more darkness in her so they took her to Castle Oblivion. I followed them but Marluxia's in charge over there and he wouldn't let me near her. He still wouldn't let me before I left but I did see her training with Larxene two days ago."

"They changed her?"

"Not really, just enhanced her powers and made her stronger."

"She looked like she was adjusting alright?"

I shrugged. "She looked like Fae to me only she's wearing more black. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get some things and then report back."

I turned to leave but she still had a hold of me. "Vi, let go."

When I turned back, she was wearing a face of determination and I knew what was coming next. "I want to see her."

"There's no way Marluxia's gonna–"

"Marluxia's gonna have to deal that's what he's gonna have to do. For all you know, Fae could be even worse off and stopped eating."

"Vexen wouldn't let that happen! She's his pet project."

"No she's not! Like that old geezer knows anything about girls anyway."

I sighed and ran a hand through my red spikes. "Alright, if you want to start a war with Petal Boy, by my guest. Go get your stuff."

"Thanks, Axel!" She hugged me and then darted down the hall.

Demyx watched her go and then stepped to my side. "How come she never does that to me when I let her win an argument?"

I didn't even spare a word as I threw a cocky smirk his way and headed to my room.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"Ah!" I ducked under the blade of Soul Eater and swiped the clone's feet out from under him. He landed hard on his back and gulped in air.

I ran in to point a dirk (1) at the boy's throat but as I neared, he balled up and rocked back on his hands before springing forward and sending me sprawling.

I was up and running at him again in the blink of an eye. We went hand-to-hand when I got too close for weapons but it was obvious he was going to beat me. Instead of giving him the chance, though, I waited for an opening and then ducked down into the splits with my hands in front of me. From that position, I kicked my feet up into a handstand and then planted them in his chest. As he staggered, I jumped up and threw a dark firaga at him.

Crouching overtop of him, I laid the flat of one dirk over his throat. "I win."

He didn't protest, just stared blankly up at me with his rubber-suited chest heaving to gain his breath back.

"Looks like g-gaining the power of d-darkness has...made you unstoppable in stamina."

I thought about someone using the word 'unstoppable' to describe _me_ and then grinned. It was nice to feel that powerful but I knew that on any other day I wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Nah, you're still just recovering from the other day."

He was supposed to test my strength the other day but as fate would have it, that didn't work out.

* * *

–**Flashback– **

"_Fae, do you know where the Riku Replica is?" Vexen asked me._

"_No, I'm not his keeper."_

"_Could you go find him, please? I would like to run some tests on him before we use him to test your abilities."_

"_Whatever you say, Oh Grand Creator." With a sweeping bow, I left the room and made my way to the nearest staircase going up. _

_I had no clue where to start so I just climbed up the levels searching what halls I could without going too far out of my way. The only people I came across who I could ask were Larxene and Naminé in the room that they used to watch Sora and his friends. I decided against going in there since I was still a little too uncomfortable around Naminé. All I knew about her and her powers so far was that she was a memory witch. _

_I continued down the hall with a slight chill still lingering on my spine. Deciding to expand the distance between me and the two Nobodies, I took the next set of stairs and went back down two flights to search. I stopped at the next fork and paused, debating which direction to go next when a door down the hall to my left opened and closed. _

Hey, that wasn't so hard, _I thought as my target came into view._

"_There you are! I was afraid I'd never find you in this stupid maze!"_

_He spun around to face me. "Are you talking to me?"_

"_No, I was talking to the wall. Rather a dull conversation partner. Come on, you've got things to take care of before we train."_

"_Train?"_

"_And what are you doing dressed like _that_?" I asked, eyeing the bright yellow tank top and poofy blue pants._

"_This is what I wear. Why are you wearing _that_?" _

"_That's what you wear? Since when? You know I'm wearing this because it's lighter and easier to use the darkness in and you should be wearing one, too."_

"_Darkness?" He drew Soul Eater and got into his fighting stance. _Well, that's the wrong order that things were supposed to go in, but, okay. What's wrong with him? _"Don't talk to me about darkness! I rejected it! I don't even know you!"_

_It was that answer that finally pointed out my mistake. This wasn't the clone, it was the person who had been cloned. It was the real Riku!_

"_Oh, sorry," I laughed stupidly as I began to back up. "Wrong silver haired teen. My bad. Pretend I was never here." _

_Not giving him a chance to question me, I sprinted back the way I had come, his pursuing footsteps ringing in my ears. At the end of the hall, I opened a portal and instantly transferred to an even lower hall. It occurred to me that I was nearly back where I had began my search but it was all the much more ironic when that was exactly where I found the fake Riku collapsed in a corner with blood seeping through cuts in his rubber suit and splattering the white floor._

"_Riku!" I ran to him and knelt down, lifting his head and checking it for any more serious injuries. I didn't find any but he had definitely been hit pretty hard. "Riku? Are you with me?" _

_A groan was the reply. I freed the copy of Soul Eater from his hand and let it dissolve as I picked him up, putting his arm around my shoulders and wrapping an arm around his waist. His eyes opened into slits and he attempted to walk along as I carried him. _

"_Good, you're still awake. Don't go to sleep, you might have a concussion. How did you get this way?"_

_He coughed out a bitter laugh. "_Him_. The Real Thing."_

–**End Flashback–

* * *

**

He smirked up at me. "Yeah, but it was a good workout for me."

We both turned to the door as it opened but neither of us moved when a steel-grey haired head popped in.

"Fae, Vexen wants me to take a blood sample today since he's busy," said Zexion, observing us.

"Okay." I climbed off of the replica and sheathed my dirks before I helped him up. Then I followed the young scientist out of the room.

Upon entering the room, I noticed a Bunsen Burner going strong on the table, the flame blue with orange near the top. Zexion first went over there and examined whatever was inside the crucible atop the ring stand. Deciding that it would be alright over the flame, he began to search the room.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I'm looking for a..." He glanced back at the Burner. "...a clean syringe. Could you keep heating that gradually?"

"Sure." I walked over to the table, picked up the Burner, and began waving it back and forth slowly underneath the crucible.

After a few minutes, Zexion came back with a syringe and a container for the sample. He watched me as he went behind me to the sink.

"You seem to know what you're doing," he said.

"When you spend a lot of time in a lab with Vexen, you learn a lot of stuff about Chemistry." He nodded in understanding and I smirked and attempted to impress him further. "What are you making Anhydrous Copper Sulfate for anyway?"

He turned to me again, a look of mild surprise in his visible eye–if he could be surprised. "You know what that is?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He returned his attention to the sink and scrubbing the supplies he had found. "Vexen wants it for his next experiment."

"Do I want to know?"

"Most likely not."

"Right, he'd probably test whatever he makes on me. Is it done?"

"Is it still blue? Or brown perhaps?"

"Not brown. It's light blue in the middle and purple on the outside." _Light blue,_ I repeated in my head. _Not even close to the shade it would have been when the process began. It's losing its original form...just like me. _(2)

"You can take it off. I'll have to re-heat it later. Here, catch." He tossed me a pair of tongs and I removed the crucible from the flame, putting it on a wire cooling square off to the side and pushing any further thoughts of my changes away.

"It looked as though your fighting is going much smoother now," he commented.

"Yup." I peeled off one side of my suit to free an arm and expose a shoulder among other things. Zexion was left unfazed by this, probably because he had helped create the new version of me and had probably seen more than I normally would have allowed. I didn't care. I hardly cared about anything nowadays. My thoughts drifted back to the crucible on the table, but just for a moment.

Zexion tied a strip of rubber to my upper arm which caused a vein on the inside of my elbow to bulge. I watched the needle disappear into my skin and then turned away as the red liquid filled the container.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded as I watched some goosebumps rise on my flesh. After being in that suit so long, it wasn't used to the fresh air of the lab. "Just fine. What does Vexen need a sample for anyway?"

"To check your status–how you're holding up to the effects of the darkness. He's making sure your body is producing the correct count of what it should be–red blood cells, white blood cells, electrolytes. Most patients would not accept having their light replaced with darkness so well."

"Are you sure he isn't just doing it for the research? Why should he care if I'm healthy?"

"All scientists care about their experiments."

"Yeah, yeah, so says Vexen but you and I both know that's a load of bull. He can't _care_."

Zexion pressed a cotton ball onto the puncture wound and waited until it stopped bleeding before he spoke, "Not all is as it seems, Fae. With you or I or anyone here. Remember that."

He slowly shook the container with the sample (I guessed it was to rid it of clots or something) and stood it in a place where Vexen would find it later. He then turned and left the room so I could clean my arm and put my suit back on properly. (And probably so I could mull over his words in silence.)

It wasn't too long after he left, though, that there was a knock on the door.

"It's open!" I called and the clone appeared in the doorway.

"You have visitors." Behind him appeared Axel, Demyx, and Violet.

"Holy jeez!" exclaimed Violet upon seeing me. "What the heck happened to you? Why do you look like him?" She pointed at the clone who shook his head and left the room to give us some privacy.

"Because I've gone through the same process. Why? Don't you like it?"

"Well, yeah, no, I mean...So you're a clone, too?"

"No, I'm not a clone!"

"How do I know? _He_ didn't think _he_ was either!"

"Violet!" Axel snapped.

"What? Wait, I know how to decide this." And she stomped right over to me, looked me in the eye...and kicked me in the shin.

"Violet, what the heck? Oh, it's on now!"

I jumped on her and tackled her to the ground. Sitting back on her stomach, I gave her a good whack upside the head and then bounced up and down, squishing the air out of her. After I was satisfied, I climbed to my feet and then nudged her side, muttering, "You should have known better. Kicking me..."

But then her foot came out of nowhere and knocked into the back of my knees so that they collapsed and I fell back down on top of her.

"Okay, so you're the real Fae," she gasped.

"Yeah, that's what I said. ...Are you disappointed in how I am now?"

She gave me a goofy grin. "No, I don't care about that. I just had to make sure that you were the real one. There can only be one Fae."

"Yeah, only one Fae," I agreed and looked to the door where the Riku clone had exited. _And only one Riku, too.

* * *

_

KissyNae: Guess what, guys? I actually helped some on this chapter.

Kateracks: Yeah, three cheers for Kissy! Hip hip! (Cricket cricket) Okay, nevermind. Here are the notes from this chapter.

(1) 'Dirk' is another name for a short sword.

(2) Just so you know, all this stuff about the Anhydrous Copper Sulfate is not me trying to be smart. We actually did do this experiment in Chemistry and when I was writing this section, it suddenly came back to me. I thought it was a good illustration for Fae's feelings about her transformation.

This was a long chapter so hopefully that makes up a little bit for the delay in the update. The next one might take a while, too. Sorry. But...

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	10. Chapter 10

Kateracks: This one took a while again. Sorry. School is still being a pain.

KissyNae: Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses. Why don't we just go into the chapter?

Kateracks: Good idea. We hope this chapter makes up for the wait but we can't guarantee that any of the next chapters will come out any faster.

Disclaimer: Although Kat has a job now, she doesn't make enough to own Kingdom Hearts and neither does Kissy because she spoils her parents with her money.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

–**Violet's POV–**

It had been a really slow day. Demyx went back to The World That Never Was and Marluxia called Axel away so all I had left to entertain myself was to watch Fae train with the clone.

I almost felt sorry for the Riku Replica last night when Axel told us that when the clone was first created, he didn't know exactly who he was but then discovered he was just an experiment. He was alright with that at first but he began to want what the real Riku had and he tried to prove that he also had a right to exist. He had made progress but then Vexen allowed his memories to be altered so that they could use him to test Sora. When he woke up, he thought he was the real Riku but now he had again realized that he was just a clone. I couldn't imagine how confused he was after all he went through.

But I didn't feel sorry for him once I got to the training area. Both he and Fae were breathing hard, weapons drawn and attacking mercilessly, never even letting the other catch their breath. Flips, kicks, and punches were included whenever an opening presented itself. They each had their share of cuts and Fae had a bruise on her face where the clone had hit her with the hilt of his sword. And that wasn't all. The smell of darkness was strong, almost too strong for even me to stand.

I positioned myself as far away from them as I could and waited for the fight to end. It didn't take long either. It looked like Fae had the upper hand until the clone suddenly jumped back from her. The air seemed to grow thicker and the stench of darkness became stronger. Tendrils began to wind up my legs and I had to use my light energy to fend them off.

Riku let go of his sword and it floated up above his head while he, too, was drawn into the air.

"Time to see who was meant to exist, Fae," he called across the area and then gripped his sword once more.

A portal ripped open behind him and he sprung back into it. Immediately another opened behind my friend and the replica flew out, sword pointed toward her.

_But _he_ wasn't meant to exist. There's no option! _"Fae!"

But she didn't move. She just stood there with her back to him and as he threw his sword down at her, a sphere of light encompassed her. The sword met the shield and bounced back to his hand as the clone shot past.

Fae smirked from inside the bubble. "You'll have to do better than that, Riku."

He smirked, too, and then disappeared into another portal. Then it looked like ten portals opened at once and he was moving so fast that it seemed he came out of all of them at the same time. Fae's smirk faded when he rocketed past her and repeatedly slammed breaks into her defenses.

He nearly forced her out of it but then stopped his barrage and skidded to a stop on the floor.

Taking his sword in both hands, he smashed the blade down between the tiles, causing explosions of darkness to spring up from the floor. Fae was flung back into a wall that made a sickening _crunch!_ as her back met it.

The clone's shadow fell over her as he stood over her prone form.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

I smiled as Riku offered me a hand and pulled me up. I dusted the marble chips from my shoulders and coughed as I popped my back.

"That was a good one," I commended.

"Yeah, but now it's time for the final test–against the Real Thing."

I patted him on the back while I walked in the opposite direction. "Good luck."

He nodded and then exited via portal.

"Are you alright, Fae?" Violet asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries."

"He could have killed you!"

"Riku? Nah, he doesn't have it out for me."

Violet's brows knitted in confusion. "Then what did he mean by 'time to see who's meant to exist'?"

"Oh, that was about his final attack," I explained, leading her back to my room. "The one he's going to use on the real Riku."

"He's going to fight him again?"

"Well, yeah, there can't be two Riku's," I reminded her.

"And you're not concerned?"

"Nope, Riku can handle himself. He has the darkness on his side."

"Not him. I meant the real Riku."

I frowned. "Why would I be concerned about him?"

"Fae, that clone could kill him!"

"Survival of the fittest, I guess," I responded.

"Fae! We're talking about the real kid here."

"He's not a kid; he's as old as I am."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "His time to die hasn't come yet. He still has friends and family to get back to–a life before the lab."

I shrugged, not sure what to say. If all of that in the real Riku's life was so great, why couldn't the stronger Riku get it?

"I think all that darkness is going to your head," Violet snapped.

"Oh, Violet, don't be that way. C'mon, let's find something to do until the boys get back."

Violet shook her head. "I don't want your brainwashing to rub off on me. You can come find me when you get your head on straight but until then, I don't want anything to do with you."

I watched in shock as she turned around and walked in the direction of the living room. How could she just abandon me like that?"

* * *

–**Axel's POV– **

I walked with light steps through the forested area of Twilight Town near the old mansion. It would be more of a hassle to kill Vexen if I didn't have the element of surprise. My orders had been to get rid of any traitors which had been enough of an annoyance since I couldn't watch Fae and the replica fight but to get rid of Vexen while Sora was around was an even bigger annoyance.

I smirked as I rounded the bend to the mansion. Marluxia didn't know how bad that order was going to work out for him later.

Just as I had been told, Sora and Vexen were just ending their battle once I got into earshot. Vexen was on his knees, gasping for breath and using his shield for support.

"Urrgh...Such strength, even at the mercy of your memory..." _Uh oh, Vexen, you better be careful. _"You _are_ dangerous! You must be exterminated!"

"Fine, whatever!" Sora easily conceded. "Just put Riku back the way he was!"

"Put him back? Fool of a boy!" scoffed Vexen. "The Riku you speak of has but one fate–to sink back into the emptiness of darkness. And you will share the same fate, Sora! If you continue to seek the girl Naminé, the shackles will tighten...You'll lose your heart and become Marluxia's pawn!"

_Looks like that's my cue to step in_, I thought, silently drew my weapons...

"Marluxia? Who's that and what does he have to do with Nami–"

...and struck! Vexen screamed and fell to the ground, a chakram sticking from his back. I stepped out from my hiding spot and stared down at my victim.

"Axel!" Sora yelled, looking horrified.

"Hey, Sora. Sorry to cut it right when he was getting to the juicy bits." I pulled the chakram from Vexen's body and he groaned, trying to focus on me.

"Axel, wh...why?"

I smirked down at him. "You sure love to talk. It's about time you shut up–forever."

He drew a sharp breath, a seemingly panicked look passing over his face. "No...Don't do it...!"

I shook my head and tapped him with the toe of my boot. _Pathetic._ "We're Nobodies, Vexen. We've got no one to be–but we still _are_. So look on the bright side. You're off the hook. Now you can be nothing instead of just being nobody."

Vexen's wide eyes stared up at me fearfully, knowing that with little effort I would take his nonexistence away.

"M-Mercy, Axel! I don't want to...go yet..."

_What does he hope to gain from staying alive? The only thing he does is experiment, poke and prod his little project and Fae_. _He's got no purpose and if Sora fails, Marluxia will kill us all anyway. Stupid old fool, begging won't get you anywhere._

"_Now_ you can tell me I don't respect my elders."

He gasped but couldn't help but watch as I spun my chakrams faster and faster. Fire spun down my arms and ignited the blades; the glow reflected in Vexen's eyes. Giving the old fart a smirk to remember me by, I stopped the spinning and brought both chakrams down point-first into his back. The flames left the weapons and coursed over his body. Vexen's cry was cut short and then he was no more. He disintegrated under my weapons and the last remaining wisps of black were carried off in the breeze.

That finished, I turned back to Sora who now looked petrified. _That's right, punk, you didn't even _scratch_ the surface when you fought me. _

"What the...What _are_ you people?"

I frowned at him and shook my head as I stepped back into a portal. "Wish I knew the answer to that myself."

It didn't take long for me to get back to Castle Oblivion and when I did, I found Marluxia and Larxene surrounding that globe just like when I left them. They had watched the whole thing.

Larxene turned and smiled. "Nice work, Axel."

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

I took the stairs two at a time and strode swiftly down the hall. Maybe if I asked nicely, Marluxia would let me watch the fight between Replica Riku and Real Riku in his globe. That would get my mind off of Violet.

As I neared the door, I heard voices already talking inside and crept closer to see who it was. If I was quiet, I might be able to pick up some helpful pieces of information. At first it sounded like just Marluxia and Larxene were speaking but then I heard a portal open and someone else enter.

"Nice work, Axel," Larxene said cheerfully. "Good riddance to that blabbermouth."

_Which blabbermouth?_

"Marluxia," spoke Axel. "You used Vexen to test Sora's strength, right?"

_Vexen? Why Vexen? Vexen was a scientist, not a fighter..._

I stepped back from the door and covered my mouth so they wouldn't hear my gasp. I knew what had happened even before Larxene expounded on the subject.

"Not just Sora's. Yours too, Axel. We weren't sure if you had it in you to take out a fellow member of the Organization. Well, I guess you did. You can join the big leagues now. With the three of us, taking over the Organization will be child's play."

I didn't hear anything after that; I was already sprinting back down the hall to Vexen's lab. I was trying to convince myself that Vexen really wasn't dead, that they just knew I was there and were trying to trick me. I hadn't thought or spoken much about it, but the old scientist had become somewhat like a temporary father figure for me–healing me, training me, and fine-tuning me for life later on. He had just helped me this morning to prepare for my match. He couldn't be dead.

That last shred of hope shattered once I entered the lab and found all that beakers cleaned and put away, the temperature of the room becoming warm without Vexen's natural cold to maintain the chill. Those things meant that Vexen hadn't been here in a while and that made me realize that he wouldn't be coming back. I was stuck here, alone, with murderers and traitors alike.

I sat down in the middle of the island counter that was now free of clutter, thinking just for a moment about who may have cleaned the place up and had they known Vexen was going to die? The obvious answer was yes; someone had planned Vexen's death. Those were the last organized thoughts I had, the rest coming in an incomprehensible jumble and causing me to zone out completely.

I sat there for who knows how long, lost in my mind–lost in my darkness–slowly finding my way back to reality. During that time, I barely felt a prick when another energy faded and dimly grasped that Larxene was no longer with us. I didn't even shed a tear for, as I said, I barely felt that she had passed away at all.

Soft footsteps behind me finally broke me from my mental entrapment and revealed Zexion standing in the doorway. He looked at me and then the empty room before his visible eye came back to rest on me.

"You heard then? It hasn't been announced yet."

"I eavesdropped. You?"

"I could smell Vexen's scent fade. It was Axel who did it, you know?" It wasn't a question but I answered anyway.

"I know. How could he do that?"

"Marluxia ordered it. He felt that Vexen's knowledge and inability to keep his silence about experiments and plots would be a danger to our cause."

"I asked _how_ Axel could do it, not why."

Understanding showed on his face and he led me from the depressing room. "Fae, you know what we are but I will explain it to you again. We are Nobodies–all of us. We cannot _feel_, we just _are_. No doubt, Axel felt nothing when he did away with Vexen. He was just following orders."

But Vexen has been one of their own. He was important to their cause...wasn't he? How could Axel just kill him and not feel _anything_? It didn't make sense.

"I won't believe that Zexion."

"Believe what you will or don't, it's your decision but what I speak is the truth."

My eyes began to fill up while I stared at him but he wasn't affected in the slightest. Even Zexion didn't care. I had just lost Violet because of what he and Vexen did to me and he couldn't feel sorry. What did I have left?

Anger mixed with my pain. I turned from the grey-haired scientist and took off down the hall to find Axel. I needed answers and he had just killed the only person who could give them to me. I couldn't focus on his power enough to pinpoint his location, nor would I be able to any time soon so I decided that the easiest way find him would be to wait in his room.

I had just made it to his door when there was an explosion of dark energy which rocked the ground and passed through the halls in furious waves. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees, not just from the earthquake but from the realization that one more of us had faded from existence: Lexaeus.

_This is getting far too out of hand._ I climbed to my feet and quietly entered Axel's room to wait.

* * *

–**Axel's POV– **

Now that I had gotten rid of Vexen and Larxene and Lexaeus were now out of the picture, it was time to take out Marluxia. I had tried once already but Sora had showed up at the wrong time–the scene he walked in upon making it seem that I was the main bad guy around here. I had let Naminé go, knowing she would fix Sora's memories but Marluxia had caught her again and tried to use her against me. I escaped when Sora showed up but if Sora fails, I'll get rid of Marluxia myself.

I smirked as I opened the door to my room. _Marluxia's going to regret hiring me onto his rebellion._

My smirk faded once I stepped inside the unusually dark room. I couldn't see anything because the darkness was so deep. What was going on here?

Lighting my hands with fire, I found the last thing I had expected. Fae stood in the middle of my room, darkness pouring off of her in waves and tears trailing down her face. She had a furious look in her eyes and her hands were clenched into fists.

Her eyes met mine and then she hissed venomously, "Axel."

* * *

Kateracks: Again, so sorry for the wait. I've been so stressed lately that there are some days I just want to cry but I haven't yet. Writing has been making me feel better but I just don't have the time. Anyway, the next chapter is already started but it's doubtful that it will come out soon.

KissyNae: The least you could do to heal her poor mind is to...

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	11. Chapter 11

Kateracks: I'm sick so I'm going to make Kissy do most of the talking.

KissyNae: Apparently we forgot to kill some people last chapter so that has been added in there...we think. Go check back in Chapter 10 after Fae finds out Vexen is dead and there will be a couple new things added in there. It's not that much reading but if you're too lazy to look back...

Kateracks: Larxene and Lexaeus are now dead. Enjoy this chapter, there's some more bad things.

KissyNae: (Sarcastically) And Kat is in a completely jolly mood. Read on!!

Disclaimer: We still don't own Kingdom Hearts. How depressing.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

–**Axel's POV– **

I carefully entered further into the room but stepped to the side, wary of the short redhead. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have been worried about her being mad but this time, she almost had a crazed animal look with that deep scowl and the darkness weaving uncontrollably around her.

"Hey, Fae," I ventured after a minute. "What's wrong?"

"You," she snarled.

_I'm the problem?_ "Me?"

"How could you?"

"How could I what?"

She growled and the darkness around her blazed with anger. "You killed him! He was the only person who cared about what happened to me and you killed him!"

_I killed him? Who was she talking about? The only person I killed so far was..._ "Vexen? Fae, you didn't even like Vexen. He poked you with needles, remember?"

"He did that because he cared. He wanted me to be stronger."

"No, Fae, I hate to break this to you but he couldn't care about you. He did do that to make you stronger but it was a direct order. None of us can...care...about you."

Then we were suddenly grabbing for something to hang on to as the whole castle rocked under our feet once more. Lexaeus had already been taken care of so the only person left who could cause that kind of quake would be Marluxia. After Sora had showed up on the scene, wanting to protect Naminé, I figured my job was going to get easier. And it did.

But when I looked to Fae, the smirk that had been forming on my lips disappeared as her frown suddenly morphed into a face of sadness. Then the tears began to fall, clearing white trails down her black tinted cheeks. She was losing it.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

I didn't know why it hurt so bad to hear Axel say that Vexen didn't care. Really, I knew deep down that that was true but I guess I had begun to hope that it was just a technique they used to harden themselves for the deeds they did. But hearing Axel say it and seeing the serious look on his face dashed that hope. I had lost so much since I had been here and I was only losing more.

"Fae, I know you're mad but you need to calm down."

He was right. I was getting too worked up and if I didn't cool it, I would give in to the darkness. I was doing the tango with destruction and I was soon going to get lost in its sweet song. I could taste the darkness lying thick in my mouth and black was beginning to creep into my vision.

I had just lost my last tie to my acceptance of this world and the new me and if I didn't find something concrete to hang on to, I would be lost forever.

"Where is Riku?"

"Fae, I don't think you should–"

I stepped up to the pyro and stared into his green eyes. "Where is the Riku Replica, Axel?"

He sighed and slumped in defeat. Turning his attention to the floor, he said, "He's in Twilight Town."

I sidestepped his tall figure and left the room, making sure to slam the door behind me. As I walked down the halls to where I sensed the Replica's darkness, I noticed just how empty the castle was. Slowing to a stop, I took a mental scan of any dark energies I could feel. There was the Riku Replica and his real self, two energies I couldn't identify, Axel, and...

Zexion's energy was dwindling and right as I locked onto it, it faded entirely. His energy fading that fast meant that he had already died though not too long ago. I'd guess an hour or so which meant it was during the time that I was waiting for Axel. I didn't even notice since I was so engrossed in my anger. All who were left now were Axel and I.

I clenched my fist and began my way back down the hall. Soon it was only going to be Axel left.

It took me about five minutes to get to the door that led to Twilight Town and once I got inside, I knew something was wrong. The smell of darkness was foul, making me wrinkle my nose. And it wasn't all coming from the Replica Riku either.

_I thought he told me he rejected the darkness? This could be bad for the Replica. _

My feet shifted gears and I sprinted down the streets of Twilight Town, literally following my nose. I'm sure people were staring as a strangely clothed girl ran through the markets, not attempting to slow down as she wove around people or apologize when she pushed them aside.

I finally ran down into the Tram Commons area and hitched a ride on the tram as it circled around to the entrance of the old mansion. When it came around the bend, I leapt off and dashed through the large crack and into the forest.

The smell was even worse in the forest and it made my mind fuzzy, my running seemed to slow down and become mechanical.

But then one energy began to weaken and I focused enough to break into a sprint again. I broke from the trees in time to see the last of the fight. When I entered, there were two Rikus but they both looked like the Replica Riku in their dark clothes. I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart if it weren't for the faint glimmer of light I could see in one and the finishing move the other used.

I watched the Replica rise into the air and grinned when I again felt the air grow thicker and Real Riku backed up nervously. A portal opened behind the clone and he disappeared into it.

Several portals opened in a circle around the Real Thing. Replica Riku shot out of one, landed a hit on his counterpart, and escaped into another portal before Real Riku could even form a retaliative attack. This happened four or five times and my grin widened when I felt Real Riku's energy go down a little more. But then I saw the boy's smirk and my grin vanished knowing the clone had been found out–his only pattern had been discovered.

Time slowed down.

As the clone came from the portal in the three o'clock position again, Real Riku turned and struck the ground in front of him with his Soul Eater. A shock wave was sent sailing right into the clone and he was knocked backwards through the air. Real Riku jumped upwards, came back down feet first, and slammed his clone into the ground. The he jumped sideways into a portal.

The clone recovered quickly and sprung to his feet. Not seeing his counterpart in front of him, he spun just in time to meet Real Riku's blade. The replica was thrown back into the mansion gates, busting them open.

Time then sped up to a normal pace.

"So, this is the end," Replica Riku rasped, blood dripping from the gash in his torso. He examined a hand that was slowly fading from view and then, clenching it into a fist, he chuckled bitterly. "Figures. But I'm not afraid. Good riddance to an artificial life."

"No," I whispered in disbelief. _How could he lose? He was so close!_ "No. Riku!"

They both looked up when I came running forward and called–the fake one because he recognized my voice and the real one because he recognized his name.

"Riku," I repeated once I knelt by his side, but that was all that would come from my lips. I couldn't accept what was happening. Why was he leaving me, too? What...what was I feeling for him?

"You-you can't leave me," I eventually chocked.

He chuckled again to reassure me but it was unsuccessful. "Stop being dramatic, Fae. You aren't losing anything."

"How can you say that about yourself? You're all I have. You're what I need to survive."

He shook his head feebly. "No, I'm not. You don't love _me_, Fae. You love my image, who I am. You don't love me, you love him."

He raised his head as much as he could manage and called to his counterpart. "Listen up, Real Thing! This is Fae. Obviously you don't know her but she's already dedicated herself to you. Take her with you, get her out of here...she doesn't belong here."

"No!" I protested. "I don't want to be put into the hands of someone I don't know! Not again."

"But you do know him...a part of him...through me. I couldn't ever really have feelings for you, Fae. I thought I could make it work but I couldn't. I never had a real heart." His gaze shifted to Real Riku as he approached. "Even what I'm feeling now is probably fake."

"What are you feeling?" the other Riku asked, almost regretfully.

"What happens when someone who's not real dies? Where will my heart go? That is, if it doesn't disappear completely..."

The other Riku looked to the ground sadly. Did he feel like he was losing a part of himself, too? "It'll go somewhere. Probably the same place my heart will go."

Replica Riku attempted to laugh again but only succeeded in falling into a fit of coughs. I grabbed his shoulder to steady him. He shook his head at me; it was futile. His death was inevitable.

"Heh...How original. Oh well."

He raised his bloody hand to mine and squeezed it encouragingly one last time. Then right in front of my eyes, his entire being fuzzed and disintegrated, carried off on the breeze.

For the second time that day, I numbly sat in one spot, lost, with tears silently trailing down my face. I wasn't aware of anything–not the breeze tugging at my hair, not the boy standing behind me, not the cramping of my legs. I could only replay the scene over and over and listen to the clone's words. He was right, he could never love me with the question of his right to exist hanging over his head. But now what should I do?

There was really only one option. I couldn't stay in Castle Oblivion; only Axel would be there and even he may be gone by now since he'd accomplished his goal. But could I bear to travel with Riku?

The boy shifted behind me and spoke uneasily, "Um, Fae? I-I know this is going to sound callous but I really need to get going. I need to find someone named Naminé...?"

Sniffling, I wiped my face and stood up, shakily pointing to the mansion before us.

"She's in there with your friend. I can feel his light pulsating from the hidden room in the basement; I know how to get there."

"So...does this mean I have someone new to protect?"

I turned and stared into his aquamarine eyes with my bloodshot ones. "I'll go with you, Riku, because I have no other options. I can't guarantee that we'll be a team just yet but I'll make an honest effort. That doesn't mean that you have to protect me. I can take care of myself. Got it?"

"Yeah, but–"

"What?"

"Behind you!" He got in front of me, about to strike down the Dusk when I grabbed his arm, sensing the familiarity in the Nobody.

"Don't! That's my brother!"

He looked between me and the swaying Dusk. "How?"

"He lost his heart to the Heartless but my light saved him and created this form to harbor his soul until I could get his heart back."

"How did your light save him? You're almost pure darkness."

I smiled. "Even in the deepest darkness there's light, Riku. You weren't the only one who was experimented on and became something you're not."

Brand swayed closer and I explained, "The Riku Replica is gone, Brand. I can't stay here or I'll be lost to my own darkness."

The Dusk bent in a sort of way that I took to mean that he understood and approved of my decision. He then stretched over to Riku and swayed before him, inspecting him. Once he decided the boy was qualified to watch over his sister, he curled up and began to wiggle away.

"Brand!"

He stopped upside down in midair and looked back at me.

"Somehow, some way, you will be freed. I swear."

His mouth unzipped and, with a sweeping gesture with his arms, he wiggled off through a portal.

I turned and followed Riku through the gates of the mansion, not even giving a second thought to one other thing I was leaving behind.

* * *

_I wish now I had scoured my memory for the images of the violet haired girl who still remained at Castle Oblivion. It would have made the next part of the story much easier.

* * *

_

Kateracks: Sorry if all the deaths seem kind of fast paced but they were kind of fast paced in the game, too. If you have an objections, go ahead and tell us. We're open for improvement.

KissyNae: Yeah, we're both nice people. (Glances at Kat) Most of the time.

Please Review!! They will make Kat less cranky and more bearable!

Laters!!

K&K


	12. Chapter 12

Kateracks: Yeah, we know, it's been a while but it's not like any of you were urging us to hurry up so don't complain. (Glare)

KissyNae: Why are you grumpy? We got a snow day today!

Kateracks: I'm not really grumpy, I'm just making a point. Come on, guys, we can see the stats. There are a lot more people reading this than there are reviewing. Just say a word or something and tell us what you thought.

KissyNae: Anyway, here's the next chapter. It has a bunch more stuff from CoM but after this chapter, it changes completely. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Kat just bought a Prom dress and Christy is quitting her job soon. We still don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

–**Violet's POV–**

How long had it been since I last saw Fae? Time never seemed to pass in this stupid place. All I knew was it had been entirely too long and I was starting to miss my redheaded friend.

_It's for my own good as well as hers_, I reminded myself. _I don't want to be corrupted by her implanted darkness and maybe it will help her come around. ...Probably not_. _Once Fae gets set on something, it's nearly impossible to get her to change her mind. _

It was amazing to think that a few months ago she was set on scoring high on her tests and now she was stuck on that clone replacing the real kid. What would be her next objective?

My door suddenly swung open and there stood a very out of breath Demyx and a disconcertedRoxas. Upon seeing me seated calmly on my bed, Demyx breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're okay."

I cocked a brow. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, Sora's been taking out so many people here at the Castle," Demyx began.

Then Roxas finished,. "And with Fae going berserk and all, we were worried about you and Axel."

"Whoa, back up!" I jumped from my bed. "Fae's gone berserk?"

"Yeah, you didn't notice the extreme increase in darkness?"

"Well, yeah, of course I did, but that was after Lexaeus bit the dust. I just figured it was him."

"No, it was Fae. I mean, she got worse after Lexaeus died but it began after Vexen was killed. Superior sensed it."

Demyx broke into the conversation between me and Roxas. "We can explain everything later! Right now we have to find Fae and Axel!"

We took off down the halls of Castle Oblivion to where the concentration of darkness was strongest. Now we all know why I always played bodyguard to Fae. It was so something like this wouldn't happen!

_Why did I leave her? I knew how unstable she was! Please, please, let her be okay.

* * *

_

–**Fae's POV– **

"You sure know your way around here," Riku spoke as I navigated our way through the mansion.

"Yeah, well, when you hang out with an organization that's supposedly nonexistent, you tend to learn things that aren't meant to be in the open." We descended the stairs underneath the library and walked through a mechanical door and another room, furthering our excursion into the lower levels of the mansion.

We found ourselves in a room with several mechanical contraptions and a computer with many screens. There was another door opposite the one that we entered from but I found it to be locked, unlike the last time I was here.

"Crap. I don't know how to unlock that door," I growled, going to the computer and attempting to crack the access code.

I tried code after code, obvious and less obvious, but each time the computer bleeped at me and flashed "Access Denied" in big letters. "Dangit! It's no use!"

"What?" Riku asked. "I thought you said you knew how to get in there?"

"Not exactly. The Organization showed me that Naminé was occasionally kept here, working on some project but they never told me how to get in if it was locked."

"Maybe I can help." We turned to find a blonde-haired girl in a white dress standing in the doorway that was now open. _Naminé._

"You're Naminé?" Riku asked as if he had read my thoughts.

"Yes," she replied calmly, but at the same time cast a wary glance at me.

"So...that was you," Riku muttered to himself, earning a confused look from Naminé and I. She let out a "Huh?"

"Nothing, nevermind," Riku waved us off.

Naminé stepped to the side, allowing us access to the door. "Please...come this way."

She led us down a corridor of metal walls and flower-like pods. It was a lot colder once we stepped out of the computer room, frosting over the glass petals of the pods. Then I noticed that there were creatures in two of them–a duck and a dog. Riku looked like he recognized them and I guessed they were acquaintances of Sora. I had never really met the kid so I didn't know for sure.

She led us through another door into a white room that was so foggy that I couldn't even see the other side. There was another pod in the middle but this one was much bigger than the others. As we approached, I recognized Sora asleep inside.

"Hey! It's Sora!" Riku realized also and then took on a suspicious look. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," Naminé replied confidently. "He's just sleeping. He has to, to get his memory back."

Riku still seemed skeptical and considered Naminé carefully for a moment, his arms crossed and head lowered. Finally he seemed to accept her answer.

"Tell me what happened."

* * *

The story was a long one and by the time it was over, I was sitting on the misty, white floor, both thoughtful and exhausted from the day. I was beginning to feel like an ugly black stain in this pure white room and sitting before this innocent girl. I wondered if Riku sensed it and if he felt the same way.

"I see..." He murmured after a time. "Sora chose to forget about this castle and get back his old memories."

"You have a decision to make, too," Naminé told him.

"Why? No one's been messing with my memories."

"It's not about your memories," Naminé expounded. "It's about your darkness." We both winced. "In your heart is darkness, and in that darkness is Ansem. Right now, he's at bay...but eventually he'll awaken, and he'll conquer you when he does. Before that happens, let me lock your heart tight. I can make it so Ansem never escapes."

Riku frowned thoughtfully. "And what happens to me if I let you do that? Will I forget everything, like Sora?" She didn't say anything but her expression said enough that we both knew. "I will, won't I?"

"The darkness in your heart will be sealed along with your memory. You'll stop remembering the darkness. You can go back to the way you used to be. It's your choice, Riku. So...choose."

I watched the silver haired teen, awaiting his decision. Would he really desert me to be the way he used to be? I mentally snorted at that stupid question. _Of course he would. He just met me, I'm not a deciding factor. Why would he care about me? _He slowly walked to the pod and studied his friend resting inside.

"Sora looks like he hasn't got a care in the world." I focused on the boy in the pod also. He really did look peaceful. That only made me feel even more out of place. "Will I sleep that well?"

"Yes," Naminé assured him.

Riku shook his head with a regretful smile on his face. "Sora always did as he pleased. It doesn't matter what we were doing–he'd still go off and leave me with all the work. Take the raft we were gonna use to leave the islands. That was all me. ...I've made up my mind."

Unknowingly, I held my breath.

"When this slacker wakes up, I'm gonna tell him off good. I told him to take care of Kairi, and here he is taking a nap! But I can't chew him out if I've been sleeping, too. Keep your lock. I'd rather just finish Ansem off once and for all."

He turned with a determined look on his face, but that look slowly fell when he saw me still sitting cross-legged on the floor. His eyes looked me up and down, taking in my weary appearance, the dark circles under my eyes enhanced by the suit.

"What about Fae?" he asked the shocked Naminé. "Does she get a choice, too?"

I sprang to my feet. "What are you talking about? I don't want a choice! I'm fine the way I am!"

But they both ignored me. Riku went on, "She doesn't deserve this either."

Naminé shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but her condition is out of my hands. She's a Maiden of the World and as such she's above my abilities to help. The higher powers will have to heal her."

"Then I guess we'll both have to wait until our time comes."Riku was completely unperturbed by this revelation.

Naminé stepped forward to grab his shoulder as he walked away. "But, Riku, if the darkness _he_ wields gets the better of you..."

"I'll make that darkness show me the way," he replied.

Naminé nodded. "That's true."

Riku smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you knew I'd say that?"

"I didn't know. I hoped. I want you to face the darkness, because you're the one who can."

"So that's why you came to me in the light. As Kairi."

"You knew?"

"I knew as soon as I met you. Somehow you...smell the same. ...Look after Sora."

He walked past me and out the metal door. I ran after him, ready to settle the bone I had to pick with him.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, you know."

"That's _not_ what I was trying to do."

"The heck it wasn't," I snapped. "If you don't want me here, just say so and I'll leave."

"Look, I was trying to do you a favor, alright? I already said it, I don't think you deserve to go through what I've gone through for redemption."

"I don't need redemption! I'm fine!"

He whirled and stopped me. "Stop kidding yourself! Have you looked in a mirror lately? You look dead, not just tired but actually dead. Your skin's grey from the darkness seeping out of your pores, there's dark in the corners of your eyes, and the circles under them make you look like you're wasting away! You weren't made to carry the darkness. You're so unstable right now that if the wind blows the wrong way and I get a whiff of the darkness rolling off of you, I almost get sick!"

"Oh, so I suppose you know everything about darkness, eh?"

"I was Ansem's slave for a while. I know a lot."

I crossed my arms and followed him out of the hole in the wall and back to Twilight Town's Tram Commons.

"Whatever. From now on, you can keep your favors to yourself, alright?"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"So you decided not to go to sleep, huh?"

I jumped sideways with a squeal when an overgrown mouse appeared at Riku's side. _What the heck?_

"How'd you know?" And Riku was talking back to it?

"DiZ told me," the mouse spoke back.

Then a guy wearing a red coat with red bandages wrapped around his face appeared at my other side. I jumped away from him as well and almost tripped over my own feet. _What is with these people?_

"You know him?" Riku asked the mouse.

"I'm not really sure." I could have face-faulted. _He knew his flippin' name!_ I was getting extremely irritated with these guys but I didn't take the time to notice how uncharacteristic that was of me. "I can't help feeling that I met him somewhere before."

"Hey, Voice. DiZ," Riku addressed the man. "Who are you?"

"Nobody...or anybody," the mummy-man rumbled out. "It all depends on whether you choose to believe in me or not."

"Boy, you really like pushing decisions on other people," Riku said.

"And you pushed away slumber and chose to face Ansem."

"What, wrong answer?" Riku asked in an amused manner.

"It was your answer. I'm just here to watch," DiZ replied.

"'Watch', as in support me, or 'watch me get toasted'?" scoffed Riku.

"I choose door number two," I inputted.

"You choose," DiZ told him. "Then you need only believe in your choice." He pulled a card from his sleeve and flicked it to Riku. "That card will draw the darkness inside you out into this world. Finish your business with Ansem."

Riku examined the card and then turned to the mouse and I. "Let's go."

We walked out of Twilight Town and back into Castle Oblivion–the one place I really couldn't stand to be right now. Unfortunately, I had no choice.

* * *

"So this card will draw Ansem out..." Riku pondered once he stopped in front of a door he could use the card on.

"Don't you worry!" The mouse I discovered was named Mickey squeaked. "Together, we can defeat him!"

Riku smiled sadly. "I'm glad you said that...but I have to face Ansem alone."

As I stared up at Riku with a bewildered expression on my face, I realized just how worn he looked, too. But at least he still had some dignity left. He was ready to be free from Ansem, free from the darkness, and he was willing to fight for it. I was really beginning to admire him.

"But...but why?" Mickey stuttered.

"There's no point in doing this if I can't do it on my own. But I have a favor to ask. If Ansem wins, he's going to enslave me. If that happens, I want you to destr–"

As my admiration for the teen grew, so did my astonishment at his almost request. I say almost because at the same time as I was thinking this over, the mouse interrupted Riku's words.

"Sure, I'll save you, pal!"

I smirked when it was his turn to be surprised and then I stepped forward also. "That's right."

Riku's agape mouth eventually formed words. "Huh? You're not listening. I want you to destroy Ansem and me with–"

"No can do!" Mickey butted in again. "I already made my choice. No matter what happens, I'm going to be there to help you. I'm not backing down. Unless you don't believe I'll come through for you..."

I nodded. "Yeah. Even if you did try to ditch me, I can't let you die when you're fighting so hard for what you want. I'll do my best. Unless you don't believe that either..."

Riku mulled over my words ( I could see the gears grinding) and then smiled gratefully. "It's my choice to believe or not. I know you'd never let me down."

"Same here," agreed Mickey. "You won't lose–not in a million years."

"Not in a billion years!" Riku assured. Then with a final nod to us for our support, he stepped through the door.

* * *

_That's the last I would ever see of that dark boy, still searching so hard for his light.

* * *

_

–**Violet's POV–**

We had searched the whole upper portion of the Castle and still hadn't found Axel or Fae. We were going to the basement now since we had sensed an escalation in the level of darkness down there. It wasn't Fae this time, it felt more like the Riku Replica but I've learned that where that clone is, Fae's usually close by.

"We've looked everywhere," I reminded the boys. "We have a general idea where Fae is but where the heck is Axel? He wouldn't be dumb enough to follow after her."

"You've looked everywhere but the most obvious place," Axel's voice droned from beside us.

I skidded to a stop and looked over at the redheaded pyro who was leaning casually against the white wall, green eyes trained on us.

"Where was that?" Roxas asked him.

Axel tilted his head in the direction of his bedroom door.

Demyx frowned. "Fae's losing her mind and you were napping?"

"Fae's fine now, just a little broken."

"Where _is_ Fae?" I demanded.

"She's with Riku. The clone was defeated and she's joined the Real Thing." Was it just me or did Axel's voice sound kind of bitter?

"What? _She_ left _me_ now?" I guess she could be getting me back for ditching her but when I left I wasn't leaving her alone forever! I was going to give her a piece of my mind!

* * *

–**Riku's POV–**

I stopped in the middle of a hall, quite a distance from where Fae and King Mickey waited for me. It made me feel good to know that they had my back but I didn't want them interfering in my fight and getting hurt.

_The time is now_, I realized as a familiar stench hit my nose.

"Come on out, Ansem. I can smell you."

I hoped that he would actually show himself this time. This was the heart of the darkness in this castle, just where he told me to look for him. I could feel it in my own heart. And what do you know? He did show himself.

"Oh, I know what you can do." His deep voice filled the empty corridor around us. "Your skill with the darkness has matured. But I do not understand. Why accept darkness and still refuse me? You and I are similar. We both follow where the darkness leads. We exist in the same space–so why deny me? Perhaps some part of your heart still fears the dark?"

I smirked. "Wrong. The truth is...You just really stink." I set my jaw in determination and held Soul Eater at the ready.

Ansem laughed mockingly. "You're a fool to choose to fight me. You've been conquered by me once before. You should know what sort of power you face."

My determined frown melted into a smirk again. He thought I was going into this without a plan? "Oh, I do. I used all the power you had to give and still lost to Sora. I'm not impressed."

Anger crossed Ansem's features and I saw the outline of his Heartless guardian appear behind him. "Very well. Then sink into the dark abyss!"

I braced myself for his attack, but it was too soon for that and I was almost blown over as a wave of darkness burst from Ansem's being and pulled me into his dark realm for the fight.

* * *

–**Fae's POV– **

"You think he'll be alright?" I awkwardly asked the mouse from my seated position on the steps near the door.

Mickey smiled reassuringly. "Don't you worry about Riku. He can take care of himself."

I sighed, wanting to hear something that would make me feel more secure. "I know he can."

I did know he could take care of himself...against Heartless and clones and Nobodies but this was _Ansem_. The Seeker of Darkness. His whole life was about darkness; he _was_ darkness.

My skin prickled and the hair on my neck stood on end when my body automatically registered a flux in the level of darkness.

"You feel that?" I asked Mickey, standing up.

"I sure do," he replied unsteadily as the ground had apparently began to shake, too.

"No, not that," I clarified and pointed at the door. "That!"

Then the dark power surged up the stairs and exploded into the room, knocking Mickey over and throwing me off the steps. My vision went dark and then my mind did the same.

* * *

–**Violet's POV–**

"Vi, what's wrong?" Demyx asked and the other two turned to look at me.

"Something's coming," I muttered in a hushed tone. It was so strong. What was that?

"Something like what?" Axel asked, but it was too late.

A wave of darkness crashed down the hall, taking the boys' feet out from under them. I, on the other hand, was blown backwards. My head struck the wall and the sea of black washed over me, drowning me.

* * *

"_Look at them. They're ruined."_

"_What do you suggest we do?"_

"_We start over."

* * *

_

Kateracks: Wow! That was the longest yet, I think. So you should review and congratulate us! Also, we have finals going on–

KissyNae: Government! Bleh!

Kateracks: –so we probably won't be able to update until later next month. But maybe we'll be able update sooner if we have the right inspiration. (Wink wink, nudge nudge)

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	13. Chapter 13

Kateracks: Sorry it took so long for this to come out. A lot has been going on this month but I didn't break my promise. It's later in the month and it's here!

KissyNae: I helped with this one, too! Woot! We're getting into the stuff that's from our own twisted minds now. Heh heh.

Kateracks: Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: We don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Wake up, Young Maiden. Your cleansing is complete._

_..._

_Oh, my head! What happened? ...Is that the sound of running water? Where am I? ...Who am I?_

I opened my eyes but still everything was dark, though there was a bit of light now. Sitting up, I could feel a few bruised vertebrae pop back into place and then I put my feet beneath me, preparing to stand. I stayed in that crouched position for a few moments, allowing my body to become accustomed to movement and took note of the sandy landscape.

After a while, I used the log that I had been laying by to gain my feet and walked down the seemingly nighttime beach to feel the fresh air coming off the waves. A moon looked to be fading on the horizon, but as I stood there watching it, the light never faded.

"What is this place?" I whispered to myself. "How did I get here? The last thing I remember is..."I frowned in thought. "What had I been doing? Why can't I remember?"

It didn't matter how hard I thought, I couldn't remember a thing except for blinding white light, pressure around the area near my heart, and smooth voices that never seemed to say anything coherent. I couldn't remember my home, my parents, or anything else a normal individual should have had–not even my own name.

With a defeated sigh, I knotted my hands in my red hair and began to walk down the beach, hoping in vain that some random sight or smell would jog something in my memory. Of course, it didn't, but one can always hope.

It wasn't until I came upon a makeshift shack that my hope escalated to a new level. Maybe someone who knew me lived there. I could put an end to this identity crisis.

"Hello?" I called as I approached. No one came out to greet me so as I drew nearer, I called again and louder, "Hello?" Still there was no response.

I reached the open door and called one last time, "Hello?" into the darkness of the hut.

_Darkness?_ I felt I should be afraid or at least wary of the stuff.

"What? What do you want?" snapped a voice from inside and as I retreated from the opening, a tall girl emerged from inside. Her purple hair gave her a sort of foreign look.

_Purple?_ I felt comforted by the color, as though I liked it or used to at least.

"What's your problem?" she snapped again. "Some people like to try and sleep unlike others who go tromping around yelling." _Is that what time of day it is?_ "How'd you get here anyway?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized sincerely. "I just wanted to see if anyone here knew who I was."

"You don't even know who you are?"the girl scoffed.

"Do you?" I asked, though not unkindly.

"Of course I do!"

"Please, tell me your name." Perhaps I would recognize it and remember something.

She looked surprised that I had asked her to prove herself and then thoughtful so that I doubted she had been telling the truth.

"I don't have to tell you my name if you can't tell me yours."

"A-alright, it's, um..." I truly didn't know so I pulled the first thing out of my mind–that coming from my impression of her hair. "It's Rogue."

She rolled her eyes as if she didn't need my pause to come up with a name of her own. "Alright, I'm Storm." (1) She leaned against the opening and looked me over. "So, Rogue, how _did_ you get here?"

I looked bashfully down to the sand. "The truth?"

"Did I ask for a lie?"

That was obvious. "I don't remember–where I was, what I was doing. Nothing."

Storm twisted a bit of purple hair around her finger in thought and then concluded, "Well, I guess since you told me the truth, I should do the same for you. ...I'm in the same state you are. Memory's a total blank."

"Are there more like us here?" I wondered. "Is this a place for people without memories?"

Storm shrugged. "Not that I've seen but I don't know for sure. At any rate, you're on my newly acclaimed property and I'd appreciate it if you'd find your own place to stay. There's no sense in standing here, trying to dig up what can't be found."

"Yeah, sure." _But where would I go?

* * *

_

As it turns out, the only place I could find was the log where I had woke up. It was hollowed out and, although I didn't like the idea of sharing a sleeping space with whatever woodland creatures and insects inhabited this place, it was my only option without building something.

It was almost impossible for me to sleep since I had just woke up and my head was clouded with thoughts. But eventually I became mentally exhausted and my body fatigued enough that I passed out. The next time I was greeted with that beach scene, it was because my stomach was starting to devour itself with hunger.

There weren't many sources of food to speak of, but there were some coconut trees. However, after several failed attempts at climbing them, it was plain to see that the only possibility would be to find some on the ground.

It was rather difficult to search for the circular shape of the coconuts in the grove of trees. It was so dark that my eyes adjusted very slowly and I still had the nagging feeling that I should fear deep darkness. But after several minutes of pep talking myself, I entered the grove.

The shadows in there were in all sorts of eery shapes and it made me uneasy. Every slight sound made me jump and I was beginning to wonder if I was always this frail. It was a bit of an annoyance.

_There! A coconut!_ I turned when I heard another noise but continued on my way toward the food source while watching behind me. The noise sounded like it came from there but it also echoed so who could be sure?

I reached for the coconut and then shrieked when another hand reached for it also. I swung my fist in defense and then fell on my rump as my legs were knocked out from under me. Looking up, I found Storm leaning against a tree, holding her face.

"You again?" she snapped.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

"_You_ punched me!"

"_You_ kicked _me_!"

"_You_ punched _me_ _first_!"

"I'm sorry. I was startled."

She glared at me and bent to pick up the coconut–the only coconut I had found.

"Hey, wait, I found that one!"

She looked from me to the coconut and back. "You want it?" I nodded and she threw it to me. "Fine, take it. It's not that hard to get another, I just prefer to take the easy route and get ones from the ground."

She picked a spot on the tree and then, backing up, she thrust her foot into the trunk. The branches above shook just enough that the milk-filled spheres above were knocked loose.

Gathering two and tossing another to me, she began to walk back to her shelter and asked over her shoulder, "Are you always this pathetic?"

She didn't hear me murmur, "I hope not," as I climbed to my feet and dusted off my rump.

* * *

I returned the coconuts to my log and then searched for a rock sharp enough to split one in half for breakfast. The rest of the day was spent searching the water for any other meal options. There were fish, but I would have to rig up a trap for them first. Luckily, I also found some shellfish that I could cook. That is, if I could devise a way to make fire on the beach.

That night found me sitting in front of a pile of twigs and dry bark I had salvaged from my shelter. My dinner had consisted of another half of a coconut since the shellfish had remained uncooked.

I risked another look at Storm's hut to check on her progress. There was no glow from inside and no smoke rising from the opening in the roof. Her idea was to hit two rocks against each other to ignite the wood; I had tried it for hours and was unsuccessful. By the looks of it, it wasn't working for her either because the wood she had gathered was slightly damp.

So while I sat in the sand thinking of how good my dinner would be if it was cooked shellfish instead of a coconut, I again picked up the stones. Striking them together, a shower of sparks fell onto my tinder and I excitedly bent down to blow on them, hoping to coax them into flames. The glow deadened and my excitement faded. I could always get that far but never had the wood caught fire.

Again and again I tried and again and again I failed. I frowned in severe disappointment and commanded the rocks, "Come on! Fire!"

The stones turned a red color in my hands and became hot so that I gasped and dropped them. Had I just commanded heat into those rocks?

I held my palm towards my pile of tinder and commanded in a gentle whisper this time, "Fire."

A small tongue of flame emerged from my hand and licked at the wood until it acquired a flame of its own and steadily grew into a small campfire.

"Thank you," I whispered to the sky and then hurriedly placed a flat rock with the shellfish over the flames.

I checked Storm's hut once more and saw that she still didn't have her fire going. I looked back at my fire and stubbornly refused to offer my help. After all, she was mean to me all day. But then again, she did help me get another coconut. And she did give me some answers, no matter how few they were.

Sighing in resignation, I quickly ran down to the water and filled a coconut shell with water to douse the flames. Then I gathered my rock of shellfish and made my way to Storm's hut.

* * *

–**Storm's POV–**

The sight I could behold from the door of my hut was definitely a surprise to me. The redheaded failure actually got a fire going.

_So, maybe she's not so pathetic after all. But how did she do it?_

Leaving the opening and the frustrating sight behind, I went back to my own fireplace and resumed my attempts to start my own fire. I was only working at it for five minutes before footsteps in the sand outside alerted me of the redhead's approach.

"Storm?" she called timidly.

"What?"

"I-I found a way to start a fire."

"So I saw. Did you come to rub it in?"

"No, I came to see if we could share the fire in your hut. It was fairing badly in the ocean breeze."

_Was it now? It looked just fine to me. Was she trying to extend a helpful hand?_

I looked away from the fireplace. "What are you going to do? Carry it up here?"

She shook her head. "I put it out but I can make another one."

"Thanks, but I don't want to wait another five hours for my dinner."

She looked to her feet. "You haven't made one yet either. Besides it won't take that long this time, I promise."

Well, it was worth a shot. She was right, I hadn't made much progress and she had already made one fire. Maybe if she remembered how she did it last time it wouldn't take as long. And I was _really_ hungry.

"Alright, go ahead."

I stepped back as she placed a flat rock of shellfish over my wood pile. Before she tried to light it, though, she told me, "Don't ask how I do this because I don't know. It just, sort of, happened by accident."

I nodded and she held her hand out to the wood. In a barely audible whisper, she said, "Fire." Then a tongue of flame leapt from her palm and ignited the kindling.

I opened my mouth to ask her how she did that but then remembered what she told me and closed it. We didn't talk until the food was done and then we ate in silence, too, except for a compliment here and there.

* * *

–**Rogue's POV–**

"So you really don't remember how you got here?" Storm asked me once we had finished dinner.

"No, why? You didn't believe me when I first told you?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't sure. You sounded truthful, but you could have been acting."

I laughed. "If I ever learned anything about acting, I would have forgotten about it." I waved a shell at her. "Thanks for letting me use your _facilities_."

She grinned. "Yeah, well, you know what? You're on my property again and I'm going to have to ask you to go back to your own home or I'll call the _authorities_."

"What authorities? The fish?"

She playfully tossed a handful of sand at me. "Just get lost."

I chuckled as I climbed to my feet and walked outside. "It's a nice night out. Maybe you should join me."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. I appreciate your help but _you_ intruded upon _me_. I didn't really want anything to do with you." I smiled and turned to go. "See you around, Fae."

I stopped short. "What?"

She cocked. "What do you mean 'what'?"

"You called me Fae."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

She frowned thoughtfully. "I guess it might have been a stray memory. I don't even know where it came from." She shrugged. "Night, _Rogue_."

"Night, Storm."

As strange as that was, with my belly full, it wasn't hard to forget about it and crawl contentedly into my log. For the first time since I came here, I readily welcomed sleep. It would have been much more enjoyable if it weren't for the realistic dreams...

* * *

Kateracks: Well, this chapter turned out longer than I thought it would.

KissyNae: And the ending was a lot different than we originally wrote, but unexpected things are good sometimes.

Kateracks: As far as the numbered part goes...No, we did not mean to make the names like X-Men. That was Kissy's fault. I actually picked the name Rogue from my friend's cat, not the movie, and then Kissy went and made us look like a rip-off by choosing Storm. You'll understand her reasoning for that later.

KissyNae: It's funny!

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	14. Chapter 14

Kateracks: Here's the next chapter finally. We have no excuse, just that we haven't really been inspired to write anything.

KissyNae: And that we've both been really lazy. At least _I_ have a reason because I've been working. (Glares at Kat)

Kateracks: (Shrugs) On with the story.

Disclaimer: We own nothing.

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

**Chapter Fourteen**

–**Third Person POV/Some Time Later– **

Not far from Rogue's log was a stone arch over a stretch of ocean. On this arch sat two glowing figures–one male and one female. While Rogue slept, the two figures watched another pair of friends relaxing on the beach–a boy with silver hair and another with spiky brunette hair.

"How long have they been here?" asked the female, tossing her golden hair from her face and lying down on the stone arch, her silver eyes finding the log.

"Not long at all–they just arrived," replied the male.

"Not the boys," said the female, looking to her snow haired companion. "Our young maidens."

"Ah." The male's golden eyes looked to the hut down the beach. "Near to a year now."

"And they haven't noticed the passage of time?"

"They were asleep for the majority of it–the cleansing period–and time does not pass at the same rate here as in the other worlds."

"Of course. I sometimes forget the reasoning of the High Council." Turning her attention to the beach, she now spoke of the friends. "How will these two escape?"

"They have the ability to open The Door to Light; now they need only open their _hearts_ to the idea. They have come to the conclusion that they will remain here in darkness."

"Darkness? Really?" Her eyes again found the log of the one she was responsible for and a thought crossed her mind. _A balance?_ "And what about our maidens?"

"They must also open The Door to Light."

There was a bright flash as the two boys succeeded in their unknown objective and opened their route back home. _They rekindled the solid trust in their friendship._

The male frowned toward the hut. "They could still be here for quite some time. Perhaps we should help them."

–**Rogue's Dream– **

_Pain. It started at my shoulder and spread downward to my hip where a new origin bloomed and made its way down to my toes. I tried to curl in on myself, but I was restrained._

_An old voice ordered, "Oh, stop it. You'll only cause yourself more pain."_

_But then the bonds suddenly lessened and a younger voice said, "Stay with us, you're doing great!"_

_My eyes pried open and I realized that my arm was straining to hold onto something–dark power. My mind was groggy but I could plainly see a dark hole of some kind that contorted unsteadily. The thought of _Kitchen_ was running repeatedly in my mind. _

"_Whoa, easy," a redhead contradicted the words of the other. He laid a gloved hand over mine that had begun to sprout bulging veins and gently pushed it down. "We don't want to lose you."_

"_I thought we brought her to the dark realm so it would be easier for her to immerse herself," the other–a spiky haired blonde–wondered. _

"_Right." The redhead smirked at the blonde and then brought his eyes back to me. "But never submit completely. And never stop moving. Got it memorized?"_

_The reassuring grip faded as did the words. I looked in shock to my hand and when I looked back to his face, it was frozen in that smirk but his form was dissipating, being blown away like sand in a strong wind. _

_I unexpectedly felt sad even though I couldn't remember who he or his blonde friend were. I sank to the ground and then everything morphed into a beautiful daytime beach scene, the only thing seeming out of place being the figure in a black cloak before me. _

"_Things aren't always as they seem," he told me comfortingly, but also as words of wisdom. "With you or I or anyone else. Remember that."_

_It all fell to darkness again with only a golden glow right in front of me. It was a woman, I knew it somehow, but I couldn't make out any features. Wordlessly, she put a band on my upper arm with a jingling pendant that I couldn't identify. Then she vanished and I was left alone. _

The light from the never changing atmosphere finally shone through a hole in my log long enough that I figured it was time to get up. I crawled from the hollowed tree that had so long been my home and greeted the day with a smile to the water lapping at the beach.

I threw a look to Storm's hut and spied her already up and patching a hole that had been worn into her roof by the ocean breeze. It seemed like she may need some help (even if she wouldn't admit it) so before I offered her my assistance, I worked the kinks out of my back and stretched my arms above my head.

A strange tinkling sound caught my attention and I lowered my left upper arm to eye level. A band was there; strange carvings wound their way around the metal and in the middle was welded a ring holding a dragon pendant. In the dragon's claws was a sphere that changed colors depending on what light it was in. _The band from my dream._

Puzzled but brushing it off for the time being, I made my way to Storm's hut but along the way, I noticed something else peculiar. There were two sets of footprints leading down to the water and they were both too big to be mine or Storm's. In fact, one of the sets of footprints looked like the person had been half-dragged and neither of us had dragged the other recently.

I followed these prints for a couple feet and then found something that I knew neither of us had. There was a glass bottle partially buried in the sand. After examining it, though, I discovered no clues inside (the only good thing about finding it being that there was a reassurance that we could get out of here since there were no footprints leading away from the spot).

After dropping the bottle back to the sand, I finished my walk to Storm's hut. However, she was too preoccupied with tying a palm branch onto her roof to recognize my presence.

"Do you need help?" I eventually asked.

"No, but if you want to do something and can climb up here, feel free," she said.

I grinned as I climbed up a nearby tree to the roof, knowing that was her way of saying that she really did need help. I held one end of the branch while she tied the other down with a piece of bark. Then we switched places and tied down the other end. When it was secure, we sat back on the roof and looked out onto the landscape.

"Hey Storm, do you ever think that some dreams aren't really dreams at all?"

"I didn't use to," she answered. "But with the dreams I've been having lately, well, I just don't know anymore." She looked at me and saw me finger the arm band. "Why? Where did you get that?"

I smiled. "My dreams."

I jumped from the roof and trotted down the beach to sit at the water's edge. _If the arm band really did come from my dream then everything else must be true, right? Did I still have those powers?_

"Rogue," Storm spoke when she caught up to me and sat beside me. "What's going on? What do you mean you got that from your dream?"

"Is it really that hard to understand? I had a dream about it and when I woke, it was on my arm."

"What happened in the dream? Aside from getting the arm band."

"A lot of things. I didn't understand most of it."

"What _did_ you understand?"

I paused in my answer and remembered what the redhead had said. _Immerse myself in darkness, but not completely. This is a dark place. _

"That I can get us out of here."

"What?" She frowned. "You tell me that after I bother to fix my house?"

I stood up and held my hand out in front of me the same way I had seen in my dream. "No telling how long it will take."

It's a good thing that I was prepared for a long day because it was late afternoon by the time that I started to make progress. The first step had to be that I overcome the strange fear I had of darkness. I kept my eyes closed the whole time and envisioned the darkness behind my eyelids spreading and wrapping around me along with other similar images, but this seemed the most productive. However, when I remembered the redhead's words about not immersing completely, I kept my head free in all the images I created for myself.

Once I wasn't afraid of letting myself be taken in by darkness, the next step was to shape whatever dark power I had accumulated into a void capable of transporting us to where we wanted to go.

Storm stayed nearby, observing most of this process and only leaving for meals and short walks when her body began to cramp up. Around the time she had finished fixing supper was when a purple and black swirling oval grew up from the sand, but it looked unsteady like the one in my dream.

"What is that?" Storm asked, taking a bite from the fish we had leftover from the night before.

"Our way out of here. Hurry, put that fire out and get ready to leave. I don't know how long I can hold it."

She shoved the rest of her meal into her mouth and packed up what was left for later before dumping water on the fire.

"All set, let's go!"

"You first, I have to hold it open."

She looked at the oval and then to my face to see if I was serious. All she saw was an expression of intense concentration so she hesitantly stepped toward it and then turned back to me.

"If you lose me in there, I'm seriously gonna find my way back and kill you."

"If you don't die first," I added.

She waved that off as if it wasn't even a possibility and walked into the swirling void. I followed quickly behind so it wouldn't actually have a chance to close without me.

"Where are we?" Storm asked once we had a chance to look around.

"I don't know," I replied and, recalling the redhead's words once more, began walking in an unknown direction. "C'mon, we can't stop moving."

"Where are we going?" she asked now.

I opted for not answering her since I, myself, didn't know. _Once I get us here, how do I get us out?_ I replayed the dream in my head several times as we walked until the thought that I had been repeating once again entered into my mind.

_Kitchen._ _I had been focusing on a destination. Now what destination should I choose? I can't remember anything of my life before the beach. The beach. The one in my dream! We could go there and ask for help in finding answers! _ Halting, I tried to recall what the beach had looked like while instructing Storm, "Keep moving but stay close so you can see when I get that void open again."

Shrugging, she started walking in a wide circle as I closed my eyes and focused on the bright beach, building every detail so that it would be the correct location. The palm trees, the golden sand, the clear blue waters, the wooden ship, and the island in the distance were all arranged in my mind...and then I felt my feet beginning to sink beneath me. The bright scene was clouded with black and I became afraid.

_No! Don't be afraid!_ I encouraged, reminding myself that Storm was counting on me. _Remember, the darkness is not to be feared as long as you don't let it swallow you. The beach, think of the beach. What colors were there? Vibrant greens, lively yellows, refreshing blues..._

A breath of fresh air caressed my face and I knew I had done it. Only one place could have a calming effect like that and it was the place I was picturing.

"Storm, go!" I called. She saw the scene on the other side and ran toward it excitedly until she saw that I was up to my shins in darkness. She slid to a stop in front of me.

"Rogue!" she cried, horrified.

"Go! It's going to close!"

"But..." She looked from me to the beach. Her distraction was enough time to shove her through and then I concentrated on the losing battle of trying to free myself.

–**Third Person POV– **

The sun was setting on Paopu Island and all was calm as everything prepared for sleep. Three teens were sitting on the beach, allowing the waves to lap at their feet and taking in the last of the beautiful view before it became dark and they had to head for home. The tallest of the three, Riku, had just stood up to stretch when a portal tore open a ways down the beach.

In shock, he merely stared, but behind him, Kairi asked, "Is that–?"

Then Sora jumped up. "No, it can't be!"

He was about to draw his Keyblade when a violet haired girl suddenly stumbled out from the dark depths.

She sputtered on the sand for a minute and then leapt up and spun back to the portal shouting, "Rogue! Rogue!" The panic in her voice told the three that she was not a threat and they jogged over to see what the problem was.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

The girl jumped and then whirled on the three babbling, "My friend's still in there! She's being swallowed by the darkness!"

Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked to each other, deciding which of the boys would go in. No words were exchanged before Sora decided he would be the best person for the job and charged into the portal. He didn't have to enter too far since only a couple feet away was a pair of arms waving wildly, trying to fend off the darkness that was rapidly devouring her. Heartless were also beginning to surround her.

Slashing at the yellow eyed creatures, he shouted, "You can't have her!" They hissed and slipped into the ground, scrambling away from his Keyblade until a more opportune time.

Sora was contemplating how to get her out of the darkness sucking her in, but as he stepped closer, the black wisps parted at his feet, retreating from the light radiating from his heart. The redheaded girl was left shivering in a fetal position on the shadowy floor. He noticed the black substance beginning to mold with her form and scooped her up.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled and when he turned around, the portal was rapidly closing. Running the few feet in between, he sprang through just as the portal closed and landed on his back on the other side, the girl beginning to stir next to him.

–**Rogue's POV– **

"Fae?" _Who's Fae?_ _But that voice sounds familiar._ I opened my eyes but cried out when I could only see black. At least...I tried to cry out, but there was a bubble in my throat and when it burst, I began coughing uncontrollably until I threw up, the taste of that wretched darkness oozing from my mouth.

Arms picked me up again and began carrying me closer to the sound of rushing water. "Storm?"

"It's okay, he's helping," her voice came from behind me.

"Sora, stand there–Kairi, you too–it'll help clear the darkness away." _That voice again._ It was smooth and alto–very pleasant to listen to.

"Fae, open your eyes," he commanded as he stood me under the water I had heard.

"What?" _What did he call me?_

"Open your eyes."

I did as told and then recoiled into his body at the blinding light that scorched my sight.

"Keep them open," he said while steadying me.

"It hurts," I whimpered, rubbing at my eyes.

"It'll help. Keep your eyes open."

I obeyed again and forced my eyes to remain open as the light continued to blind me and the water washed the blackness from my sight. Once I could clearly make out a spiky haired brunette boy standing next to a redheaded girl in a pink dress and Storm, I turned to the person who had helped me to find a tall silver haired boy peering down at me concernedly with aquamarine eyes.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"That did not go as planned," the male told his female companion as they stood on a cliff overlooking the maidens.

"We must report to the High Council," she spoke and then disappeared in a flash of light and an explosion of golden sparkles.

KissyNae: The ending seems a little rushed but it was all we had so we ran with it.

Kateracks: Really, it was _all_ we had. We are officially out of ideas so if you guys have any plot suggestions or things you would like to see, send 'em in. Otherwise, this story is going on hiatus, maybe permanently.

Please Review!!

Laters!!

K&K


	15. Chapter 15

Kateracks: Oh wow, it's been an incredibly long time. So sorry. We've both been busy with our first year of college. ….Well okay, only _I've_ been busy with college for the _whole_ year…. (Glares at Kissy)

KissyNae: (Ignores glare) Do you think we have any readers left?

Kateracks: We'll find out.

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts is not owned by us or else we would have no trouble paying for college.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

—**Flashback/Third Person POV—**

_In the kingdom of Disney, all was serene as its inhabitants slept under the cover of darkness. No light was alive in any of the houses, the only illumination coming from the many stars signifying the numerous worlds, explored and not. _

_These stars shone down on the entirety of this kingdom, but also exposed the most important building—the white palace that was Disney Castle._

_In the garden of the Castle, with its many plant sculptures of animals and other cheerful things, a particular shadow condensed into an even darker circle. Out of this circle rose a small head with bright yellow, saucer-like eyes. _

_It pulled itself from the darkness and observed its surroundings, its legs flip-flopping as it waddled around and its head bobbing as it took in every detail. Moments later, many more of these creatures sprouted from the ground and gathered together, making their way to the entrance of the Castle._

_Once they all slipped under the door, they waited as a tall, long-haired man pushed off of the wall he had been leaning on and counted their numbers. Satisfied, he slowly turned and began his journey through the many halls to his destination, the creatures following loyally behind._

_After traversing the maze-like halls of the castle for quit some time, the man stepped around one final corner and opened the door to a bedchamber, not at all attempting to hide his presence._

_Inside, a mouse was startled awake and groggily looked at his guest while straightening out his red pajamas. He suddenly became alert as the black creatures began spilling under his door and his mouse wife also awoke and screamed. The male mouse stared hard at the unwanted visitors and then threw his hand out from his side, summoning a golden, key-shaped blade and preparing to fight. _

_But then the man held up a hand and, deciding he would not be needing any help after all, snapped his fingers. All of the creatures abruptly stopped filing under the door and disappeared in puffs of black smoke. _

_The man chuckled as he neared the bed and the mouse gripped his weapon tighter, scooting around to be in front of his wife. Bending down to be somewhat more level with the rodent, the man sneered, "Hello, Your Majesty."_

—**End Flashback—

* * *

**

—**Fae's POV—**

"That's an amazing story," I said to Riku as we all stood in Kairi's living room. She had volunteered to feed us and let us stay at her house, but the boys had also come over to give us all a chance to get acquainted.

"Yeah, and every word of it is true," replied Riku.

"I believe you. I had a dream with men in black cloaks teaching me how to make that portal and then I actually managed to do it. But I'm sorry, I still don't remember you."

Riku shrugged. "It's alright. King Mickey said that you fell pretty hard off of those stairs. Maybe you have some amnesia."

"Then what happened to me?" Storm asked. "Nobody knows and I think it would be a strange coincidence if we both got amnesia and ended up in the same place."

"I don't doubt that there was some connection between you two before Fae disappeared, but she never mentioned you. She never talked about anyone in the Castle. Sorry."

Storm stood up and stretched. "Well, if there's one thing I'm sure of now, it's that I'm more confused than I was before and I'd like to stop gaining more unanswered questions. What are they making to eat in there?"

Riku shrugged again and watched her walk off to the kitchen where Sora and Kairi had already started to make the evening meal. In the mean time, Riku stood up and began making a bed on the couch he had been sitting on a moment before.

"Was my name really Fae?" I asked after a very lengthy pause.

"That's what I was told. You don't have any memory of that either?"

I shook my head. "When I woke up on that beach, I couldn't remember anything. I only started calling myself Rogue so that Storm would talk to me and that's what I was called for so long that it just sort of became my new name. But you know what? One day she called me Fae completely out of the blue so maybe you're right about that, too."

"Maybe." He seemed really uncomfortable and he wouldn't look at me, instead pretending to be extremely busy with tucking a blanket under the couch cushions.

"What beach were you on when you woke up?" Sora asked as he walked back into the room with a sandwich in hand. "I've been to a lot of worlds. Maybe if you describe it to me, I'll be able to tell you where it was. Remembering some things might help jog some memories, too."

_It couldn't hurt. _I thought back to the morning when I woke up and did my usual scan of the landscape and then said, "The sand was a blue-grey and it always seemed to be a constant state of evening. There was always a glow on the waters at the horizon like the sun might rise, but it never did and time never seemed to pass. My log was near the water and there was a stone arch that overshadowed the calm tides. The breeze was always calm, the weather never changed. It was like we were stuck in…"

"A work of art?" Riku glanced at me and then turned to Sora. "We were there, remember?"

Sora nodded and I frowned as I remembered that strange thing that I had seen that morning. "The footprints…They must have belonged to you two. I never noticed them before and when I woke up this morning, there they were. We must have just missed meeting each other."

"No, not if you just saw them this morning," Riku said. "We were on that beach almost two months ago."

"Two months? But how?"

"You said it yourself," Sora pointed out. "Time never seemed to pass. Maybe it was passing, but it was passing really slowly."

"But we were there for so long," I objected. "It must have been a little over a year according to your story. How did we never notice you?"

"It was a mysterious place," muttered Riku. "And not one you would end up in just by accident, so my question is: why were you sent there?"

"If we knew, don't you think that we would be a whole lot _less_ confused?" inputted Storm. "Why would we even be asking you if we knew?"

"More kindly put, neither of us have a clue," I offered.

"But I bet we know someone who does," Kairi said, giving both of the boys present a meaningful look.

"Someone we should know, too?" Storm prodded.

Riku sighed and explained, "Yesterday we got a letter from King Mickey saying that our job wasn't done yet—that there was still a threat that he would like to discuss with us in person. He said he was going to send a Gummi ship for us as soon as possible so we're expecting it any day."

"I guess we'll just have to take you with us," voiced Sora. "So you better make sure you're packed to leave at a moment's notice."

Storm promptly finished her sandwich and carried her satchel over the kitchen trashcan. Dumping out the fish she had packed yesterday that was beginning to smell rotten, she dusted off her hands and returned her attention to the spiky-haired boy.

"All ready."

Eyeing our attire, Sora held back a snort of laughter and said, "Not quite. Kairi, can I talk to you for a second?"

* * *

—**The Next Day—**

Kairi and I giggled uncontrollably as we watched Storm sift through a sea of brightly colored, very small clothes, hoping against hope to find something that would fit her. Earlier, Kairi had gone to a local thrift store and picked up as many outfits as she could find for Storm and I to try on. Even though we had washed them as often as we could, we _had_ been wearing the same clothes for almost a year.

I had chosen some grey pants with zip-off legs, one of which had been missing since Kairi had returned from the store, but I didn't mind. I thought the longer pant leg on one side and the shorter pant leg on the other was a cool style. The only top we could find that would fit me was a white tank top so I also picked out a navy zip-up vest, trimmed in gold to go over top. Some black shoes completed my selection, but Storm was having a bit more trouble making up her mind.

"I don't see what's so funny about this," she grumbled, tossing a pink shirt away from her in disgust. "I thought when you said that you were going to get some clothes for us you would pick some sizes that were made for average sized people, Kairi."

"Sorry," Kairi managed between giggles. "That was all they had."

Storm sighed, deciding on a similar pair of shoes, jungle green cargo shorts, and a black, long-sleeved hoodie. "I guess this will work for now. If we're going to be traveling, I'll probably lose some weight anyway."

"Good. I like that outfit," said Kairi, cramming the rest of the options into her closet. "Should we watch a movie now?"

"Sounds good to me," replied Storm.

Just about the time that Storm and I were picking out a movie and Kairi went to make some popcorn was when the doorbell rang. Being the closest, I took it upon myself to glance out the peephole where I saw Riku leaning casually on the support post of the porch. Once I opened the door, though, he straightened and tensely hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

"Uh…Hey," he began awkwardly.

"Hi," I greeted. "Were you looking for Kairi?"

He shook his head. "No, actually, I was looking for you. Would you like to…take a walk with me?"

"Sure," I answered hesitantly and called back into the house, "I'm leaving with Riku!"

As he led me in the general direction of the beach, Riku asked, "So…what did you do today?"

"Kairi got us some new clothes," I answered, gesturing to my new wardrobe. "But we couldn't do much else. Storm and I are so used to sleeping that we got up much later than we would have liked. It's really strange to be woken up by sunlight."

"I figured that would be something new to you. I'm taking you down to the docks so you can see your first sunset."

"Oh…?" I sensed there was something else behind his words, but I wasn't going to pry.

There was silence for a few minutes and then Riku revealed what his other reason was. "I spent all last night trying to decide how much I should tell you about what happened." He paused, frowning at himself. "I left some things out of the story I told you last night and…I've decided that you have a right to know everything that I know about you."

He paused again, as if debating with himself whether his decision was still correct or not. Beginning to grow curious, I prodded, "Okay. Like what?"

He suddenly nodded to himself as if reaffirming that what he was doing was the right thing, but one look at me caused a sigh to escape his lips and a hand flew nervously to his hair. "Where to start?"

"How about the beginning? When you first met me after the battle with your…copy, or whatever."

"Well, I changed that, too. I didn't just meet you after the battle; I met you through the replica. I guess you two had some…feelings for each other and as he was dying, the replica just sort of…gave you to me to look after."

I could tell he was growing more uncomfortable by the second so I laughed, taking delight in the bit of relaxation that crept into his posture.

"I can see why you felt the need the change that. It would be a weird thing to tell me that I was given to you right after I met you again. …Why did I have feelings for someone like that anyways?"

Riku shook his head uncertainly. "That was something you never completely explained to me. You mentioned that you had been experimented on to become the dark being that you were so I just assumed that was how you met—in a lab. I don't think you would have been like that if it weren't for the Organization. At least…that's the idea I got when Naminé told me you were a Maiden of the World."

"Naminé. That girl who fixed Sora's memories—Kairi's other half." He nodded and I mulled over his words a bit more. "You're right. A Maiden of the World doesn't sound like someone evil. What were my responsibilities?"

Riku shrugged. "I'm not sure. After you disappeared, the King said that it had something to do with keeping the balance of light and dark. He was really confused because you didn't fight the darkness off with light so he wasn't sure you were a Maiden at first. But then I told him your light saved your brother from being lost to the darkness so he changed his mind."

"My brother?" I repeated in bewilderment. I had a family? On the dark beach, I had always wondered (and sometimes dreamt) about there being someone who was missing me. I never thought it was actually real.

"You said he was your brother, but he was in the form of a dusk at the time."

"A dusk—one of those Nobody things that Sora talked about," I clarified still not sure I understood all of what they had explained to me.

"Yeah, the weakest form of Nobody. His name was Brand."

"And my light saved him? Where is he now?"

Riku's steps faltered and then he stopped walking altogether. "I don't know that either. Sora fought a lot of Nobodies while he was traveling the worlds…" I saw the regret appear in his eyes before I felt my face fall and he hurriedly went on, "You know what? Forget I said that. Brand was too concerned about your safety to fall by Sora's hands. He's out there looking for you right now."

"You're probably right," I said, trying to assure myself that we would one day find each other.

Then as we rounded a line of buildings, we stepped out onto the sand of the beach and a well-placed distraction took my breath away. The evening sky was ablaze with vibrant pastels of yellow, red, orange, and pink, casting heavenly outlines onto the white clouds in the distance and turning the endless ocean horizon to liquid gold.

"My first sunset," I whispered, so as not to disturb the moment.

And as I stood there, mouth agape, Riku leaned back against the dock with a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

—**Third Person POV— **

"Sora!"

The brown-haired mother waited in the kitchen with a smile on her face as she listened to her son crash around upstairs when he jumped up, his feet scrambling down the hall and thumping heavily down the stairs as he ran to her aid. One hasty teenage boy slid into the kitchen on socked feet and then met the floor face-first when he couldn't dodge the chair that appeared in front of him.

Sora's mother hid a smile behind her hand as her son sheepishly climbed back to his feet and gave her an inquiringly look.

She held a full trash bag in his direction. "I only wanted you to take this outside."

Sora's shoulders slumped and he groaned, "Aw, mom."

His mother frowned disapprovingly. "Listen, young man. You may be a hero to many people and you may be leaving again to save many more, but while you're here, you still have to do your chores."

Sora wilted pathetically underneath her stern gaze and he compliantly reached for the stinky trash bag, taking it with him to the front door. Even so, he still took his sweet time and he tried his best not to look happy about it. But what could he say? He had been away for a long time and he had missed his mom.

It still amazed him, though, that his mother could know about his new abilities, spells, and skills with a Keyblade and still ask him to do something as simple as taking out the trash.

Shrugging and plunking the bag into the garbage can near their mailbox, he resignedly accepted his fate to always be her little boy no matter how much he grew, physically or otherwise. He smiled into the evening sky, glad that there was one thing in his life that would never change, and then immediately cocked a brow at the golden speck that had blinked its way into the sky.

At first he thought it was a star, but upon noticing no other bright lights in the vicinity and that this particular one was moving and growing bigger, Sora realized exactly what it was. An adventurous grin made its way onto his face and then he ran back inside to get his things.

Sora had spent the last few days preparing his mother for when he had to suddenly run off to save the worlds again, but that didn't mean that he still didn't receive a tearful goodbye as he changed his clothes and pulled on his shoes. After taking a few moments to console her and assure her that he would return much quicker this time, Sora gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek, dashed out the door, and sprinted all the way to Riku's house.

Beating on the door quickly proved fruitless and Sora took off down the darkening streets of Destiny Islands to Kairi's house. This also proved futile and, thinking they all may have seen the ship as well, he started off in the direction of the beach where he saw the Gummi ship land. To his relief, about halfway there, he found two of the four people he had been looking for.

"Sora?" Kairi gasped when he caught up.

"You get chased by a big dog or something?" Storm voiced from behind her.

"Where's Riku and Fae?" he asked breathlessly.

"There," Storm stated, gesturing into the distance, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"They left toward the beach a while ago," Kairi replied. "We came looking for them for when saw the Gummi ship going that way."

"Well, where are they?" Sora panted as the ship came into view.

"There," Storm repeated, a little louder this time.

"They should be right here," said Kairi.

"They're right _there_!" Storm cried, brushing past the two teens to point toward the hatch of the ship where their two friends were exiting along with two other creatures.

"Here we are," agreed Riku, brow raised in question. "What's up?"

"Nevermind," said Sora, smiling and shaking his head before running over to tackle Donald and Goofy in a hug.

"Come on," Riku urged, nudging Storm who was eyeing the two animals toward the hatch of the Gummi ship. "Maybe if we hurry and board they'll cut their hello's short." He started leading the girls up the ramp, but paused when Kairi began to follow. "Where do you think you're going?"

Hands on her hips, Kairi put on a face of determination and declared, "I'm coming, too."

"No, you're not," Riku stated, meeting her stare without so much as a flinch.

"Why not?" the Princess of Heart demanded with a pout.

Sora interrupted his own greeting to his friends and came to stand beside Riku as his back-up. "Because it's too dangerous, Kairi. We don't want you to get hurt."

Kairi's pout disappeared and was replaced with her argumentative face, meaning she was about to make a point that would be hard to refute.

"Have you forgotten that Riku gave me a Keyblade?"

Riku looked away and ran a hand through his hair, apparently having let that fact slip his mind. Not that anyone could blame him. He had just gotten home not too long ago, started his life over, then a mysterious letter had come, and an old acquaintance of his suddenly showed up in a dark portal. Although he had this in his defense, it didn't give him any leverage in the argument. Sora, on the other hand, was just plain helpless against his redheaded crush.

When no one put in a rebuttal Kairi continued, "Besides, if Fae and Storm are going, I have to go, too. They need another girl to keep them company."

Riku and Sora just shrugged to each other and showed their reluctant approval by sighing and walking up the ramp. They knew Kairi was right. Neither of them fully understood girls anyway; that was too many hormones to remember and too many mood swings to discern. Besides, if things got too dangerous, they could always leave the girls with some of Sora's many other contacts.

"I'm driving!" Sora called once they had reached the cabin of the large ship.

He quickly claimed the captain's chair despite Donald's protest of "Absolutely not!"

"A-hyuck! Here they go again!" laughed Goofy.

Riku rolled his eyes and ushered the girls into the nearest chairs, Storm questioning, "Should I be scared?"

"Only if ya don't like heights," answered Goofy.

"Or if you get motion sickness," Riku inputted. "If you don't have it now, you might once you experience Sora's driving. You better strap in."

* * *

Kateracks: Again, I'm SO sorry this took so long to update guys. College is killer and it's about to start again here in a week. I also may have to have surgery soon so that will delay the updates, too, but I will still try to keep up with this story…at least so it doesn't take a year to update again. …I'm so sorry! But, hey, take a look at this! I've got a new friend helping me with this story since Kissy and I don't see as much of each other as we used to. Meet Arait.

Arait: Hi!

Kateracks: She has stories on FFN, too, so if you're into crossovers, you'll really like her stories. And, like I said, she'll be helping me with this story. It'll still be on my account, but you might see hints of Arait here or there. And don't worry, Kissy won't be gone forever either. She still has to help with her character, Storm.

We're still not sure where we're going with this story, but we have a few more ideas in the making so hopefully this won't go on hiatus again. We're also waiting until 358/2 Days comes out so that we can keep our information as accurate as can be so that may also slow the updates. But never fear, we're still here!

I don't expect any reviews since this took so long, but it would still be great to get some!

Laters!!

~K&K, Now Plus Arait


	16. Chapter 16

Kateracks: Hey guys! We're finally back with another chapter!

KissyNae: Many thanks to Arait for helping Kat while she was away from me. They have a lot of ideas in store now!

Arait: (Nodding vigorously)

Kateracks: Indeed we do. On with the show!

Disclaimed: We own nothing!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our , as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

Once the Gummi ship had broken through the atmosphere surrounding Destiny Islands and had leveled out for the uneventful flight to Disney Castle, the excitement in the cockpit died down. Up front, Sora piloted the ship, Donald "co-piloted" despite the absence of another steering mechanism, and Goofy oscillated between the tasks of watching the radar for obstacles, mediating the arguments, and napping.

Riku shared the same idea as the knight and quickly spread out on a bench along the west wall to catch up on some rest. To be honest, he hadn't slept well the past few nights while anticipating their departure, but now that they were on their way, there wasn't much else to do.

Crammed together on a bench behind the captain's chair, Kairi was keeping Fae and Storm occupied with tales of the most recent time they had left the Islands. Sora added his input here and there for the first half of the conversation topic, but once he received a stern rebuke from Donald for turning around to make a face and nearly steering the ship into an asteroid, he was forced to focus on his driving.

By the time Kairi had reached the climax of her recounting, they had covered a good deal of the journey. Riku had awakened and, with no responsibilities assigned to him, was drawn into helping tell the story.

"There were Heartless _everywhere_," Kairi was saying. "And that's when Riku gave me a Keyblade."

"I never would have guessed you for the warrior type, Kairi," Storm expressed, looking the girl over from head to toe. She didn't think fighting in a _dress_ would be the most ideal option, and aside from that, there weren't many muscles on the Princess as far as she could see. Even _Fae_ was more built for fighting.

"Well…usually I'm not. But this was important," Kairi explained. "Besides, I think I did pretty well for not having any practice. Right, Riku?"

"I don't know if I'd say that…" Riku smirked.

Kairi didn't find it funny. Turning around and trying her best to glare at her friend, she said, "Then maybe this time I should practice on _you_ first."

"He was just kidding, Kairi," Sora supplied. "You know that's just his way of saying you did fine."

Fae chuckled and stood up to stretch, mentioning, "He sounds like someone else I know," while giving a pointed look at Storm.

"I hope you aren't talking about me," the other girl responded. "Because I never told you that you did fine at fighting. You sucked and I made sure you knew it."

Fae turned her pointed look to Kairi. "See?"

"Alright, if you think I'm saying you're a fine fighter…" Storm stood up and stepped into the more spacious area behind their seats, lowering herself into a defensive stance. A playful grin in place, she mocked, "Let's go then."

Fae giggled and mirrored her stance, not at all intent on actually fighting, but deeming this as a perfectly suitable, active way to pass the time. She had barely gotten her feet positioned appropriately when Sora caught their attention.

"Hey look!" he said, pointing at a blue droplet that was lazily floating past the cockpit. A moment later, a bigger blot followed the first one's trail. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Wack!" Donald cried suddenly, his feathers ruffling as he identified the substance. "That's the ship's coolant!"

"Is that important?" Sora asked anxiously.

"_Yes!_" Donald squawked. "It stops the engine from getting too hot!"

All of the standing passengers were sent stumbling for something to grab onto as the ship gave a tumultuous shudder.

"What did you _do_, Sora?" Storm demanded, pushing herself upright and throwing her hair out of her face.

"_I_ didn't _do_ anything!" the Keyblade Master insisted while trying to control the ship as it succumbed to more quaking.

"Uh-oh," said Goofy and pointed to a warning that had popped up on the window overlooking the vastness of space. "Looks like we've got a fire!"

Sure enough, the screen indicated that a fire was consuming the engine by showing a steady amount of red filling a picture of the propulsion device.

"A fire?" Storm cried. "There can't be a fire! There's no oxygen in space!"

"It's burning from the inside," Riku said and then told their pilot, "You're going to have to make an emergency landing, Sora."

Sora nodded his agreement and angled the ship toward the nearest world in his sights.

Storm was not pleased with this idea. "_Emergency?_" she repeated. "You mean _crash_ landing!"

"Storm, calm down," Fae spoke.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Storm ordered. "I don't want to die without remembering who I should expect to be at my funeral!"

There was another explosion from the engine as it blasted through the atmosphere to the world Sora intended to land on. Another jolt as the Gummi ship cleared the atmosphere nearly threw Storm into Kairi's lap and then, as if there was no end to the dampening of Storm's mood, the sprinkler system in the ceiling turned on. Water shot out of the tiny spigots, drenching all of the occupants of the cockpit as the disaster prevention devices went about their job.

Storm whirled around and glared viciously up at the innocent mechanisms, shouting, "There's no fire in here!"

"Calm down, Storm," Fae pleaded, more earnestly this time.

"Better _sit_ down!" said Sora, peering hopelessly through the clouds now surrounding the outside of the ship. "I'm not really sure when we're going to land!"

Those sprinkler systems really were a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that they would prevent the engine fire from spreading too quickly. A curse in that when Riku stepped toward his bench to strap in, his sneaker slipped in a puddle at the same time as the ship lurched to the right. As he was sent sliding that direction, Fae reached out to catch him, but this proved to be too much of a task for her (after all, Riku _was_ much bigger than her) and the two were sent skittering into the wall.

Riku's back hit Gummi and then Fae slammed into him, shoving him harder against the surface. Something depressed against the Keybearer's shoulder blade and he realized too late that it was the button to open the exit to the ship.

The hatch burst open and the two teens tumbled down the resulting ramp, very well on their way to plummeting to their deaths. That is…until Riku's body kicked into "Fighter Mode" and his self-preservation instincts caused one of his hands to grasp the very edge of the on-ramp. Fae's caught his unoccupied wrist as she fell with him and the two of them were left hanging precariously in a sea of white clouds above a ground that was not visible below.

"Riku! Fae!" they heard Kairi scream.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" called Storm.

Her purple hair came into view through the mist as she carefully climbed down the ramp toward them. As Fate would have it, though, Storm's heroics were not meant to be at that time. When Riku looked down and to his right to check on Fae, a looming silhouette of some sort of tower suddenly sprang up in the sea of white. Before Sora could angle the ship out of the way, the tower had brushed Riku and Fae off of the on-ramp like a broom would a dusty cobweb.

The two of them careened through the sky for a few agonizing moments, wondering how far the ground was below them and how much they would feel once they finally met it. Then Fae was forcefully tugged out of Riku's grip and lost in the fog above him. The Keyblade Wielder's back met rough material that felt like shingling, but he couldn't be certain if that was what it was as the steep incline of the surface caused him to roll off. Something hard smashed against his cranium and he dimly made out a flat surface rushing up to greet him before his vision swam into nonexistence.

* * *

The jolt caused by the belly of the ship grazing the tower threw Storm down the on-ramp and introduced her to the same position Riku and Fae had been in a moment before. This time, however, the ramp had not been treated so kindly and was gradually giving way under the girl's weight. Storm barely had time to notice the last bolt come loose and say "Oh great!" before the final supporting rivet shot out of its home and the ramp came off entirely.

Storm leaned out of the way as best she could when the sheet of Gummi-covered metal whipped back toward her, threatening to take her head off as it descended past her. She watched it fall through the clouds below her, a smudge of egg yolk dipped in ketchup on a white canvas before it abruptly halted its free fall. Storm did not stop, however, and she dropped straight onto the rubbery substance which then catapulted her back into the air and toward a cluster of sinister-looking blue rocks.

Blue_ rocks…?_

The thought process of the familiar object was not allowed to proceed as her head collided with a particularly pointy one and she fell into an unwilling sleep.

* * *

The Gummi ship had nearly torn itself out of Sora's control by now. As the space craft left the cloud cover, the Keyblade Master decided it was time to land. Picking the next flat spot to come into view, Sora pushed on the controls and directed the ship toward the ground.

The back of the ship was billowing black smoke now and the signal for the landing gear would not go through. It wasn't like that would make any difference anyways as the engine was inactive at this point and could not be told to slow their descent. Hoping that they would stop before they hit a building or dropped down a crevasse, the boy brought the craft as level to the ground as he could and let the ship take its own course.

When the hull connected with the ground, Sora was thrown from his seat. He was quite certain his spiky hair grazed the domed ceiling before his body made the painful fall to the uncomfortably hard surface of the floor.

* * *

—**Fae's POV—**

A damp, cold breeze brought me back to alertness. The first thing I noticed (aside from the fact that I could barely see my nose on my face from the fog) was the feeling of cool metal pressing into the skin between my shoulder blades. Then I realized that the reason I couldn't breathe as well as I should be able to was because I was suspended in the air by something hooked in my blue vest.

After several minutes of wriggling about, trying unsuccessfully to achieve an angle where I could grab whatever held me and pull free, I gave up. All I had accomplished with that amount of effort was tiring myself out and rubbing my back raw on the metal. Maybe if I hung there long enough, one of my friends would find my whereabouts.

I sighed and crossed my arms as I hung there, realizing that that possibility was unlikely since I was so high up. I mean, I _was_ in the _clouds_. I would have to get myself down. But _how_?

A wind cleared the mist away just enough that I could make out my surroundings. I appeared to be hanging from an old, horizontal flagstaff which jutted out of a tower similar to the one that had swiped us off of the ship. About twenty feet below me was a balcony and a step down to the left of that was a flat portion of roof which connected this tower to a second tower. It was on this connecting structure that I spied blue jeans, like a beacon in the fog. _It must be my lucky day._

"Riku!" I called down to him. When there was no response, I cupped my hands to my mouth and called again, louder this time, "Riku!"

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard him groan and mumble something as his body shifted a little. Good, then he was conscious now.

"Riku! Get me down!"

His figure shifted again, this time accompanied with the response, "No, you're not gonna drown."

Knitting my brows together, it took me a moment to decipher that he wasn't fully cognizant yet. However, I couldn't allow him to go back to sleep. I shouted to him another time, "No, Riku, get me down!"

This time a half-hearted wave in my general direction came along with the distinct reply, "Alright, you can hang around."

The irony of that comment convinced me to try a different tactic at waking him completely. I arched my foot to free my shoe from my heel and the wiggled my toes to get it off the rest of the way. I then kicked it up to my hand.

Or…that was the plan except I didn't calculate the force needed first and it sailed over my head instead and fell to the balcony below me. Uttering a put-down to myself and then following that up with more planning and a little encouragement, I started over in getting my other shoe off. Praying that a gust of wind wouldn't come up unexpectedly and foil my plan a second time, I took a steadying breath and kicked the foot covering up to my awaiting hands.

The next step would be tougher. I had never excelled at any of the sports Storm and I had played on the dark beach so throwing things was not among my specialties. (1) I just hoped I could throw something worth a home run this time. I swung my arm up and let it fly, intent on landing a hit somewhere on Riku's back. Of course, that was before I remembered that I was hanging from my vest and it would catch my arm at an odd angle. It looked like my throw would be going, going, gone as it was heading straight for Riku's head.

"_Riku!_" I cried again, in warning this time, but it was unneeded.

His hand flew up and caught the projectile as he sat upright and shouted, "I was _not_ sleeping, Maleficent!"

It was silent for a moment as he found his bearings and I tried to translate the meaning of his sudden outburst. When I wrote it off as pertaining to information I did not yet know, I tried to once again obtain his attention.

"Hey! Up here!"

His eyes searched the haze to find me and I waved to aid his efforts. After all, he had just woken up

Once he realized by predicament, a smile spread over his face and he called, "Hold on, I'll be up there in a second."

Surveying the tower he took a minute to decide which approach to where I was hanging the easiest. He decided on utilizing a drain pipe and, planting his feet on either side of it, he pulled himself upward and quickly scaled the wall. He disappeared near the top, climbing onto something on the opposite side from me and a moment later, I heard the scraping of his sneakers against the shingles of the sloped roof above me.

"Now what? Are you going to walk out here and get me?" I joked.

"Nah. Tightrope walking isn't really my style." He stepped one way and then the other, looking for a better way to go about reaching me. There was none. "It looks like if I can get you off the point of that flagstaff, you'll slide right to me. I'll try a little Aero magic. Keep your head down."

I ducked my head as far as I could to get it out of the way of the pointy end of the flagstaff and waited. The breeze around me slowly picked up to a blustery wind that started blowing my feet backwards toward Riku, but I remained stuck. A few seconds more and the gusts picked up so that they were almost to the state of gale-force winds. It was tugging painfully at my hair and the chill of it was sucking my breath away. Just when I thought I would freeze and Riku's attempts would fail, my body was pushed backward enough that my vest shifted and I came loose, sliding down the pole until I collided with the brick wall of the tower.

"A _little_ Aero magic?" I repeated with a smile.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, now as long as I didn't break any vertebrae on that wall or gain a concussion, this operation will have been a complete success."

"We still have to get you back down, you know." I slumped pathetically at his reminder. I wasn't afraid of heights by any means, but neither was I excited about descending the fifteen foot drain pipe. I pushed the thought aside and tuned into Riku's next instructions. "Alright, now unzip your vest and pull your left arm out. I'll catch you."

I did as told and felt my heart drop for a split second along with the rest of me before Riku caught my arm and pulled me up onto the roof with him. A minute later, I was dropping onto a balcony on the other side of the tower that was close to the roof and the drain pipe.

"Hey, look at that!" I said as I pointed into the distance. Riku's hurricane winds had accomplished their purpose in more ways than one, it seemed, as we were now free of any cloud cover. "Isn't that a town? And I bet that plume of smoke is where Sora landed the ship."

"He couldn't have landed us anywhere but here…" Riku mumbled.

"Why does it matter? Where _is_ here?" I wondered.

"Hollow Bastion."

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

Walking down a path of blue stone and shining crystals carved into a ravine was a warrior, just returned home from a battle he did not win. He was exhausted and discouraged, to say the least, his skin sticky with sweat and dirt and his hair standing up in ways different from normal. His black apparel needed repairs in several places and his weapon needed some maintenance work done to it. He was looking forward to getting a hot shower and some rest before continuing on his search for his enemy.

_Whap! _

Something tan and fleshy swung down and smacked him right in the face. He reeled back and prepared for combat…only to realize that there were no subsequent attacks. Actually, upon inspection of the object after calming himself, he found his attacker to be a dirty arm with blood streaming down it and dripping off the fingertips. It took him a moment more to see that the limb was still attached to its body.

Sidestepping the appendage in front of him, the warrior walked a couple paces up the trail and then turned to find the body which was hung up in a cluster of crystals above the trail. She had either wrecked her ship or thought it would be exciting to try surfing down the ravine on that Gummi hatch. He doubted it was the latter, but whatever the case, she had hit her head and was unconscious now. And yes, as surprising as all this was, what was even more so was that the woman had purple hair…and he recognized it!

He then decided that he would take her to a place where he knew she would be kept safe and well taken care of: the house of an old wizard acquaintance of his. Carefully removing her from the entrapment, he continued making his way to the top of the ravine, this time with more baggage.

After probably a half an hour of walking along the path and climbing jagged ledges with the weight of two people burdening him, the warrior finally made it to the broken stairs of what used to be a bailey. He had to work his way up that, too, and by the time he had made his way out and above a group of townhouses, he legs were burning in such a way as to point out all the exercising he had been doing.

No matter. He was almost there anyway.

Of course, it was then that he glanced toward the sky and noticed a dark curl of smoke twisting its way through the air. He would probably have to join a rescue party and go check that out next. So much for him getting to rest.

After a bit more walking, down some more stairs and into the town, he was entering the house where he intended to drop the girl off for medical care, only…everyone was gone, save one man who sat in front of a computer, casually tapping on the keys. He turned and wiped a thumb across his nose as the warrior entered with his female finding.

"Well, if it ain't Cloud," he drawled, the toothpick in his mouth bobbing with each word. He stood when he noticed the unconscious girl in the warrior's arms. "Who's that ya got there?"

"Violet." Cloud did not feel the need to explain any further until everyone else was present. "Where's Aerith?"

"She went with Leon, Yuffie, 'n' the crazy old wizard to investigate a Gummi ship that crashed at the Postern. They think it was one o' the King's."

"They'll be back soon?" Cloud asked.

"Should be."

Cloud laid Violet on the only bed in the small house and leaned up against the wall nearby without another word. He'd just have to wait with her then. After all, he couldn't just leave her under the not-so-watchful eye of Cid.

* * *

Sora awoke to a pair of large yellow shoes mashed into his nose and a duck bill beside his ear. It was a dog pile position that he had become accustomed to throughout his travels. He pushed himself upright with ease, his companions rolling off of him and groaning as they themselves opened their eyes.

Standing up, the Keyblade Master dusted himself off and reviewed the extent of the damage done to their ship. Aside from the obviously destroyed engine and the missing hatch door, there were the controls which were sparking from being dowsed by the sprinkler system, several notable upheavals in the floor where the hull had connected with the ground, and a fist-sized smash in the windshield. He wasn't sure how that got there. He did, however, know how the captain's chair got wedged under the control panel. The collision that had bounced him out of his seat had tore up the floor and loosened the bolts. The final jolt of the crash flipped it over and pushed the floor up to trap it there.

Donald and Goofy slowly climbed to their feet, nursing bumps and bruises, but not much worse for the wear. Donald, in particular, was complaining about some of his tail feathers that had fallen victim to one of Goofy's soles. If that was the worst that happened to them, Sora thought they would be doing pretty good, all things considered. Too bad that optimism was on the verge of being ruined as three of his friends had fallen out of the ship so their well-being was unaccounted for and Kairi…

Where _was_ Kairi?

"Kairi?" he called tentatively. When there was no answer, he demanded of his remaining two friends, "Where's Kairi?"

The mage and the knight looked to each other for the answer, but as neither one of them knew, they turned back to their leader and shrugged. Sora began scurrying about the cockpit and searching the piles of scattered supplies for the Princess, hoping against hope that she hadn't fallen out, too. Unfortunately, he didn't search the area where she actually was…

* * *

Kairi had had a rough encounter with the captain's chair and as Sora was looking for her, she was pressed against the far wall underneath the control panel, struggling to get his attention. This proved difficult, though, with the headrest of the chair jammed firmly into her ribs and severely restricting her air supply. Try as she might, she couldn't get the desperate cry of "Sora!" to come out as more than a whisper. She would have to find some other way to get his attention before he decided to leave the ship to look for her!

Looking blearily around herself with her darkening vision, Kairi noticed that a portion of the underside of the control panel above her had fallen off. Through the hole, she could make out a mass of tangled wires and the round, red shape of the button for the ship's alarms. She could clearly distinguish which wire led to her savior as it was a bright green color and it was this one that she tugged free from its home.

* * *

The loud shrills of the alarms unexpectedly filled the cockpit, causing Sora to jump a foot in the air and then spring on the button to shut them off. Several attempts at pressing the object proved to be a fruitless solution and Sora determined that it was broken.

The endless noise was quickly becoming an annoyance. Maybe there was a shut off switch underneath the control panel?

"Kairi!" he exclaimed when he looked and found his love interest trapped against the wall and the captain's chair. "Hold on! I'll get you out!"

Standing to his feet, Sora swiftly called forth his Keyblade and cut through the pedestal of the seat. Goofy turned the chair away from the Princess and Sora crawled back beneath the control panel to help her get out while she caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked her as she gasped in his arms for a moment or two more. Then he dared to point out, "This is why we didn't want to bring you along, Kairi. You never know what's going to happen."

Kairi coughed. "Three of our friends are missing and you're worried about _me_?"

Sora frowned. It wasn't like he had _forgotten_ about them per se, just allowed them to take the back seat to his momentary panic over the missing Princess he loved.

"We'll find them," he assured her. "I have some friends here. We'll split up and look for them. And besides…" He helped her to her feet. "Riku knows his way around Hollow Bastion. I'm sure they're safe."

A female voice belonging to none other than the Great Ninja Yuffie was heard outside then, saying, "You were right, Squall, it is one of the King's."

"Leon," the addressed male corrected and then a face came into view, peering into the ship and calling, "Is that you, Your Majesty?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Not exactly."

* * *

—**Fae's POV—**

It hadn't taken us too terribly long to climb down off of the castle roof and locate a way to get to the ground. There were numerous elevators, staircases, hallways, and balconies to navigate along the way, though. Riku seemed to know exactly where he was going, but I was completely lost and dizzy by the time we reached the entrance. Of course, the latter could have been from the different atmosphere of this world. It was a more intense version of the feeling I had when Storm and I had first left the dark beach and arrived on Destiny Islands. I hoped not all the worlds we would go to would have changes like this because I wasn't feeling much better by the time we wandered out into a blue gorge of some kind. At least I could focus well enough to help Riku in his search for a path that he knew was nearby and would take us up to the town we had seen earlier. He was sure he knew where Sora would be.

"You sure know your way around here," I commented, leaving a question hanging in the air so he could provide an explanation. Really, I didn't care what the answer was, I just wanted some conversation. He hadn't bothered to say anything on the trek out of the castle other than a few warnings here and there and the silence was killing me.

He didn't look like he planned to answer me for a while, but eventually he shove his hands into his pockets and admitted, "I started out here—after we left the Islands the first time."

"…With Maleficent?" I asked hesitantly. I had been wondering about the identification of that person ever since Riku had randomly shouted their name.

Riku's steps faltered. "Did I…say something about her while I was unconscious?" I nodded and his shoulders slumped a little more, his eyes straying to the ground. "Yeah, with Maleficent."

"Was she…someone important to you?"

He let out a snort of cynical laughter. "No. She was a witch who was the start of my problems. Old hag probably still isn't dead…" He trailed off and suddenly pointed to my left. "There's the trail."

"…Do you wish she was dead?"

He sighed and appeared to be trying very hard to look anywhere but at me, this time tilting his face to the sky. The sunlight now glinted off of a crusted rivulet of blood from a cut at his hairline that curved around his eyebrow and trailed down to stop at his jaw. His distaste for this place seemed to be represented in that wound.

"It wouldn't make a difference if I did. I don't make that call. Besides, I guess I can't really blame her for everything that happened to me. I got myself crippled by the darkness all on my own. She just…sort of…helped me limp farther from the light." He finally threw a glance my way and asked, "Can we stop talking about this?"

I glanced down to my shoes nervously, hoping he wasn't mad at me for asking such questions. "Yeah, sure. Sorry. You didn't even have to ask. You could have just stopped talking."

"Normally I would have," he smirked at me with amusement so I would know he wasn't angry.

"But?" I prompted, smiling.

"I have to keep the Maiden happy." I put my hands on my hips, not appreciating the title of importance given to me. He ignored it and added, "And I have to keep you around. I still owe you and I have an obligation to keep, even if you don't remember any of that."

I smiled and glanced uphill to the outskirts of the town we were headed to. It was built higher up on the ravine so we'd have a bit more climbing to do, but we'd be there in a few more minutes.

"There's something else I've been meaning to ask you," I began.

"And what's that?"

"About Sora and Kairi… Are they…" I paused, deciding how I wanted to ask it. "Together?"

Riku chuckled as he took the lead in our climb up to the edge of the town. "No. Not yet. Not officially anyway. They're made for each other and everyone knows it, but they're both too scared to make the first move. It's almost pathetic."

"How obvious it is, you mean?" I asked, following the route he was taking up the rock face.

"Yeah. Like a month ago…Sora's mom wanted to throw a dinner party kind of thing so we could celebrate being back on the Islands and it would give everyone a chance to visit with us. She invited a bunch of the neighbors and told us all to dress kind of fancy."

"Sounds nice."

"It was at first, but then we actually got to the dinner part of the evening. Sora had been mesmerized by Kairi all night and he didn't even stop when we lined up to get our plates of food."

He paused in his recounting as he climbed over the lip of the ravine and reached back down to pull me up. Once our feet were on solid ground, Riku led the way up a broken staircase toward the town.

He continued, "He was so busy staring at her that he tripped over himself and threw sauce all over my white dress shirt."

"Uh-oh!" Fae laughed. They came out over the town and descended another staircase that led them in amidst a cozy cluster of houses. She smiled as Riku pointed to the one that was their destination. "I hope he paid for your dry cleaning."

Riku shook his head. "Unless Sora is out fighting Heartless he doesn't have any money. He would have had to ask his mom for money and she'd never him let him forget it. I just pretended that it was my fault and paid for it myself to help him preserve his dignity." He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "…For now. I might blackmail him with it later."

Then he swung open the door…

And a blur of red hair and pink dress glued itself in between us, demanding if we were alright.

"Kairi, we're fine," Riku reassured her repeatedly.

"Yeah, it was just a traumatic experience I'm sure I'll recover from in no time," I said and then took stock of all the new faces in the room.

There was a black-haired girl, a few years older than myself, holding what appeared to be a giant throwing star. Beside her stood a tall man with brown hair and a scar on his face, dressed in leather and holding a combination of a gun and a sword. A scruffy blonde man sat at a computer nearby, chewing a toothpick as he thoughtfully pondered the newcomers. On the left side of the room, an older gentleman with a long white beard and sporting a bright blue robe sat at a table, examining an ancient-looking book. Lastly, along the back wall were a black-clad, blond man and a brunette woman in a pink dress standing over…

"Is that Storm?" I cried, rushing to the bedside. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She'll be fine," the woman replied softly, calming my burst of panic. "She hit her head, but a headache will be the worst to come from it."

Just then a groggy voice said, "Rogue, can I ever get a bit of sleep without your yelling disrupting it?"

I smiled down at Storm as her dark brown eyes fluttered open and pinned me with a mild glare.

"Sorry. I'm just so glad you're okay."

Slowly, Storm pushed herself into a sitting position and clutched the side of her head. "I don't know if I'd call this splitting headache I have 'okay'."

"Do you still know who we all are?" Kairi asked as she and the rest of our traveling companions stepped forward.

Storm looked the rest of them over with knitted brows. She remembered who I was—she had already proved that much—but what about those she hadn't known as long? Eventually she shook her head and said, "I don't remember anymore." Kairi gasped and covered her mouth. Storm suddenly sprouted an amused smirk and added, "But I don't remember any less either."

Riku and Donald shook their heads, Sora and Goofy chuckled a little, and Kairi stamped her foot.

"That wasn't funny, Storm!" she scolded. "You scared us!"

Storm waved her off and turned to the blonde man standing at the foot of the bed as he repeated "Storm?" in a perplexed tone.

"Yeah, why?" she asked. I could see the irritation form on her face when he didn't say anything further for almost a minute. Storm couldn't wait that long. She stood up and pushed past her dizziness to get up in his face, threatening, "You wanna fight? If you've got something to say, then say it!"

"I met you once before," the man said. Storm's scowl lightened into surprised bewilderment and she stepped back a couple paces in shock when his next sentence came. "You said your name was Violet."

There was stunned silence from everyone in the room while Storm merely stared at the man. After a few tense seconds, the blonde man at the computer muttered "I guess I better go fix yer ship…" and got up to leave, everyone else muttering their agreement and offering their help as they trailed after him.

Riku touched my arm and urged, "Come on. I bet they have some things to discuss."

I couldn't argue with him. At last! We found someone who knew who Storm was before she woke up on that dark beach! What sort of relationship had they had, though? I wasn't sure I should leave them alone, but I couldn't refuse Riku's insistent tugging on my arm. Surely he knew what he was doing. Everyone here was friends with Sora, after all.

But, even then, I couldn't stop myself from casting a worried look back at them as Riku shut the door behind us.

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

"So I was here at one time?" the girl now renamed Violet asked the man whom she had discovered was named Cloud. He nodded in response. "What was I doing?"

"Does the name Ansem mean anything to you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Should it?"

"You were looking for him. But I doubt it's very important now. He wasn't here then. He's not here now."

Violet stopped pacing and twisted a strand of purple hair around her finger—an action Cloud recalled her doing the last time he saw her.

"What is your real name?" he asked.

Her eyes met his for a moment and her pacing resumed. "It's Violet. It's gotta be. The only reason I told people to call me Storm was because I needed to be called something. I mean, would you want to be called 'hey you' or 'girl'? Of course not because you're not a girl, but you wouldn't want to be called 'that guy'." She put her hand over her mouth. "I'm babbling. I told myself I wouldn't do that around other people. I'm just so excited that someone knows who I am!" (2)

"You don't remember anything about yourself?" Cloud asked.

Violet shook her head and, with a huff, sat back on the bed. "It's so frustrating—looking for something that's lost and you know it can't be found… But yet…its presence is still right there… Like a forgotten saying…on the tip of your tongue… You know?"She couldn't be sure if what she was saying made sense or not.

Cloud considered her words in silence for several moments and then nodded. "Yes."

Violet's eyes brightened. "Really? You know that feeling?" He nodded again. "What are _you_ looking for?"

He turned away then, staring off into nothingness as he answered, "My light."

"You lost it? …How?"

"Sephiroth." The one word sounded sinister to Violet even before Cloud explained who he was. "He's the embodiment of my darkness. Until I defeat him, I can't find my light."

"Where is he?" Violet inquired, wondering if there was some way she could help him while at the same time, he could help her.

Unfortunately, he shook his head and answered, "Before I returned here and found you, I had just lost him again. He could be waiting on any world."

_That's it!_ "Then come with us!" Violet blurted excitedly. "Riku said we have to go talk to King Mickey about some threat to the worlds or something so we'll be going to a lot of places! Maybe you'll find Sephiroth on one of them!"

"You mean Sora will," Cloud corrected.

"What?"

"Sora will be going to help the worlds."

"There's no way that spiky-haired punk is leaving me behind!" Violet declared and then added, "Ooh, sorry! No offense!" when she remembered that Cloud, too, had spiky hair.

Meanwhile, Cloud was just shaking his head. He didn't feel like gallivanting across the universe to play hero with Sora and his friends.

"Come on!" Violet pleaded. "You're the only person we've come across who knows who I am! Or…who I _used_ to be. I don't want to lose myself again. Please?"

Cloud couldn't help but look at her face on account of her tone. She sounded so sincere. And besides, she had a point.

* * *

Some time later, Sora and the rest of their company were found returning to the comfort of Merlin's house. They had a lot of hard work ahead of them and they figured they should all rest up before beginning. They just hoped that Cloud and Violet had finished their discussion. Nobody wanted to be put in that awkward situation again.

"You really did a number on that ship, kid," Cid told Sora. "It's gong to take a while to fix."

"I tried not to, Cid. I really did," said Sora, rubbing the back of his head. Riku cleared his throat to remind his best friend that they had another favor to ask of the mechanic. "But…while you're at it…" Sora went on. "Could you do something to make it a little more comfortable for all of us to travel in?"

Cid wiped a thumb across his nose as he thought and then pondered aloud, "I might be able to make the current sleeping quarters into two bedrooms 'n' maybe I could turn the storage room into another one… I'll see what I can do. Just fer you, kid. Don't spread the word around."

"Sure. Thanks, Cid," laughed Sora and then he pushed open the door to their wizard friend's house.

They were welcomed back by Violet pointing at Cloud and proclaiming, "Hey, guys! Look who's coming with us!"

* * *

KissyNae: And that's it.

Kateracks: Now we're getting into the good stuff. It's part of the actual plot now. As Kissy mentioned above, Arait is helping me since I've gone away to college and don't see Kissy as much anymore. We've got general outlines for the next couple chapters in mind so hopefully it won't take as long for me to update.

Arait: You keep saying that, but the last time you updated was eight months ago.

Kateracks: It hasn't been a year yet! I'm doing slightly better than last time! …Anyways, I'm not incredibly stuck anymore so I'm going to try to write a little bit everyday when I have some free time so maybe it won't take me as long. Oh yeah! Here's the footnote things…

(1) The idea behind this is that, although Fae and Storm don't have all of their memories, they are being allowed to regain those that won't be detrimental to their purpose. (Like how to tie their shoes, for example.) Any others that may have the potential to contaminate them again (that they may begin to remember on their own through certain stimuli) are not allowed to proceed.

(2) Storm has realized that she has (and also would have had in the past that she can't remember) a tendency to babble when she gets worked up. She doesn't like it about herself so she tries to hide it when she's in the company of other people.

Kateracks: There! All done! …Finally!

KissyNae: We hope you enjoyed it. Maybe if Kat gets some reviews she'll be "inspired" to update sooner.

Arait: Yeah, so…Please Review!!

Laters!!

~K&K+A


	17. Chapter 17

Kateracks: (Sigh) Sorry guys, I'm still taking a long time to update, but I am doing slightly better than the last couple times. I just had surgery again so my mind was elsewhere for a while. (Literally. Aren't pain meds great?) I worked on this chapter a little bit at a time after I got out of the hospital, but it took me a little while to decide what content I wanted in it. Thank Arait for helping me decide and giving me a partial idea.

Arait: (Bowing proudly)

KissyNae: That is…if there is anyone still out there reading this…? Maybe we should just give up.

Kateracks: (Shrug) We've come this far. We might as well just finish it now.

KissyNae: Very true. Get on with it then.

Disclaimer: Nope. Can't own it. Just blew all our money on going to the water park and shopping for clothes.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

—**Violet's POV—**

I was not pleased with how our time was spent on our unwarranted pit stop. During the time that Sora's friend Cid was fixing our ship, Fae, Kairi, and I were supposed to take inventory and then buy supplies that were either lacking or lost in the crash. Sora and Donald started out practicing their magic with the wizard, Merlin, while Riku and Goofy helped Cid with ship parts, but then Donald and Rku switched duties so the two boys could once again familiarize themselves with the Keyblades they hadn't used in two months. (I think while they were scrimmaging, Kairi snuck into the company of Merlin to learn some magic herself.)

The delay of our departure also gave Cloud a chance to clean up and think over his decision to go with us when it wasn't spur-of-the-moment. Eventually, he left our crew to go train so he could "be ready for Sephiroth." When he informed me, I could swear I saw the gears turning in his head—looking for a way out of coming with us—and I thought that would be the last we'd see of him. But when the day for us to leave came around, he was there, seeming to have returned out of thin air beside the repaired Gummi that we'd be using to go see this "King" that everyone kept talking about.

I was quickly becoming sick of that spaceship. After being crammed into it, thrown out of it, restocking it, and spending long hours in it, who wouldn't be? I was glad we had a new passenger, though, even if I could never tell you where he was hiding. Maybe the boys' cabin…

Everyone else seemed to share my boredom and on the last stretch of our journey, all of us teens started a _rousing_ game of Go Fish. Note my sarcasm. But at least it was something all of us knew how to play. It didn't become even remotely interesting until they found out I had been bluffing the whole time and everyone else started doing it. I had to say, this Riku guy wasn't half bad at it. He could easily keep a blank mask while Fae only succeeded because she constantly hid behind her cards. Sora's mask was pathetically easy to see through, but at least he was making an honest effort. Kairi, on the other hand, couldn't keep a hold of her cards, especially if she and Sora were asking each other. Sora, the cheese ball, would jokingly bat his eyelashes, ask "pretty please", and she would just fork them over! It didn't matter, I guess. Riku and I were still tied for first and the point of the game _was_ only for entertainment.

"Got any three's?" I asked of the brunette Keybearer.

He appeared to be looking through his cards and then answered "Nope" with a smile.

"Sora, your Poker face sucks, now give me your three's," I commanded.

"Poker face? But this is Go Fish," he pouted. I had to hand it to Kairi. If Sora had nothing else going for him, he sure had one cute pout.

I smirked and extended my hand across the kitchen table. "If that's your Go Fish face, it sucks, too. Now give them here."

"Wack! We're here!" Donald suddenly squawked from the cockpit.

I laid down my three's and jumped up, announced "I win!", and then rushed out of the room before they could protest, eager to finally get out of this ship again.

Cloud entered the cockpit from his hiding place shortly after the rest of us, but I hardly noticed. From my seat I could watch everything as Donald directly the ship underneath the world and flew us upward through a tunnel and into a hangar that was chock full of new ships. Large robotic, gloved hands moved about the room on metal tracks, washing Gummi blocks and shining glass domes in a fashion that was quite comical. But I couldn't dwell on it long enough to laugh.

Donald poked a few buttons on the control panel and the middle portion of our tri-sectional observation window suddenly became a two-way screen.

"Donald Duck to landing crew!" he quacked and two creatures on the other side jumped in surprise. Were those _chipmunks_? _Seriously?_

"We didn't know your ship had one of those!" one cried, a bright red nose on his face seeming to grow brighter at the embarrassment of being caught off guard.

"We had a little bit of trouble along the way," Goofy informed the fuzzy duo.

"Yeah, but now we're here and we'd like to land," I butted in, hoping they wouldn't try to tell the whole story while we were circling the hangar. The only results I got, though, were blank stares from the chubby-cheeked rodents.

"Please?" Kairi appended to Violet's appeal. The chipmunks snapped to attention, saluted her, and then bowed.

"Right away, Princess!" they squeaked in unison.

Before I could even begin to envy the power our pink-clad companion seemed to possess, one of the robotic hands had grabbed the Gummi ship and moved it next to a dock. The hatch popped open with a hiss and before you could say "See ya!", I had set my feet on solid ground. The chipmunks scampered down to meet us as the rest of the crew departed the ship. They spared me a passing glance as they sped right over to Sora and shouted, "Welcome back!"

"The King wants to see you right away," the red-nosed one said, jumping up and down in his jubilance.

"He's waiting in his study," the other told him.

Sora nodded to Riku and said, "Let's go." But then a voice behind him caught his attention.

"Chip! Dale!" it called.

It took me a second to realize that the voice had come from the direction of the floor and then I took note of another rodent on the scene. A mouse. A female mouse, but a mouse all the same. Ew.

As she moved toward the chipmunks at our feet (and I moved a step behind Cloud), it became apparent that she had previously been working on something. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a pair of goggles sat poised on her head between her ears. Her blue one-piece jumper was smeared with grease and as she spotted her targets, she began spouting out technical jargon.

"I was working on—" That's as far as I understood before I was lost in a sea of hydraulics, reverse thrusters, hyper drive, and a whole bunch of other mumbo jumbo that I'm sure left me with a dumb-struck look on my face.

Eventually, at the end of her explanation, I discerned something intelligible. "—and the gear flew off! You have to help me find it! …Oh, and I need another can of oil."

With that, she wandered back the way she came. The two chipmunks shared a confused glance and then looked after her. Chip (I think) was the first to speak.

"I'll help ya, Gadget!" he offered, taking off after her.

A moment later, Dale joined the chase, calling, "Me too!"

Sora put his hands behind his head and a knowing grin on his face as he watched them scamper away and voiced, "Well, I guess that means we won't have an escort. But…I don't remember her from the last time I was here."

"A-hyuck! That's Gadget, our new mechanic and a good friend of Chip and Dale's. She just arrived," said Goofy.

"She's the mechanic?" I gaped. "No wonder our ship fell apart!"

"She's better at fixing things than making them," Donald grumbled. "You should see some of her _inventions_."

Sora smiled, following his feathered friend out of the hangar and onto a lush expanse of grass lined by green bushes pruned into animal shapes and patches of brightly colored flowers. It looked to be the castle garden—a little too cheery-looking for my tastes. It was in this area two teenage boys (a lucky guess since they were also animals) were seen—the one of a larger build practicing his magic and the other blocking said magic with a shield. It was the latter who caught my attention. Although being in that awkward-teenage-boy stage, his gangly build, height, and somewhat goofy facial features seemed familiar. At first it didn't register how, but then it dawned on me. His goofiness reminded me of—

"Hiya, Maxi!" Yeah. He reminded me of Goofy.

"Maxi" waved and then spoke to his practice partner, gesturing toward us. They both hurried over, the gangly one greeting, "Hey, you're back!"

"Boys," Goofy said to them and pointed toward the two leading our group: Sora and Kairi. "This is—"

"Sora," Maxi interrupted, nodding in the sort of acknowledging way people do when they're trying to be cool around their childhood hero.

"A-hyuck, yeah! And that there is—"

"Princess Kairi!" the pudgier one announced to which both of them immediately made clumsy bows.

Kairi giggled in response and continued the introductions, first pointing at Riku. "Right again. This is our best friend Riku and our newest additions: Fae, Violet, and Cloud."

We exchanged our various howdy-do's and then Goofy laid a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "This here is my boy, Maximillion."

"Max, dad," the teen corrected.

Sora's jaw quite literally dropped to the point where I almost feared an invisible force had broken it and it wouldn't hinge back up. He looked between the newly acclaimed father and son with golf ball size eyes of astonishment. Yet try as he might to form words, he was speechless for some time.

Once he finally found his voice again, the only thing he managed was, "You have a _son_?"

Goofy laughed and he and Max shared an identical smile. "Yup," the father said.

"Training to be a knight of the King like his old man," Max added and Goofy beamed with pride for a split second before Max went on, "Traveling to new worlds, defeating the masters of the darkness, slaying heartless—!"

"Max—"

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" Sora cried through the beginning of Goofy's lecture about how being a knight wasn't all about the thrills and glory.

Goofy scratched his nose. "Gawrsh, Sora, you never asked."

The Keyblade Master looked to the other, larger teen and asked, "Then who are you supposed to be?"

The boy straightened and replied, "PJ—that's Pete Junior."

This time Riku joined in on his best friend's surprise, although he was a little more subdued about his. In unison they gawked, "_Pete_ has a son?"

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

While Sora continued to pitch a fit about not being in the know, Fae nudged Riku in the side and whispered, "Who's Pete?"

He leaned down to her slightly and muttered, "Remember when I told you about Maleficent?"

"Yeah."

"Pete's one of her henchmen."

"Oh."

Riku stood tall again and spoke, more to himself than to anyone else, "So why's his son in the King's court?"

Donald heard him and commenced in expounding, "Their whole family was separated when the Heartless came to their world. Pete probably assumed they were all taken by the Heartless and that's why he went to work for Maleficent."

"So he could become powerful enough to bring his family back?" Riku wondered aloud.

"That's so sad," Fae sympathized. The situation sounded painfully similar to hers. Was her brother still alive somewhere? And if not, was there some way she could bring him back?

Donald shrugged. "We've been trying to contact Pete but we can't find him anywhere. We haven't tracked down his wife or daughter yet either."

"Who _else_ is here?" Sora gaped, loud enough that it broke through their conversation.

Goofy began ticking people off on his fingers. "Well, let's see…There's Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Donald's nephews, and Uncle Scrooge comes through on his Ice Cream route—"

"Sea-Salt Ice Cream?" Sora interrupted.

Donald stamped his foot in sudden remembrance of their objective. "We can talk about that later! The King's waiting!"

"We'll escort you!" both Max and PJ volunteered.

The two boys let them through the garden and into a castle corridor, up a flight of stairs, and into a wide, red-carpeted hallway. Windows lined the right wall overlooking the garden and on the left side were a series of doors. They didn't go into any of these to meet the King, however, and instead proceeded to a more ornate set of double doors at the opposite end of the hall from where they entered. Max and PJ opened these, stood to either side, allowed them to enter, and then closed the doors behind them once they had all filed through.

The travelers' attention at once focused on a large desk in the middle of the room where a fuzzy black head with big, round ears was pouring over a massive book in front of it. When the doors closed again, two dark eyes looked up from the yellowed pages, a black nose twitched, and a mouth spread into a welcoming smile.

Violet groaned. The King just _had_ to be a mouse, didn't he? And not just a normal sized mouse like they'd already seen, but a mouse that was big enough that it would come to her thighs. _They grow 'em big in these parts_, she thought.

Donald and Goofy struck a rigid salute and the duck quacked, "We have your guests, Your Majesty."

Along down the line, Riku, Sora, and Cloud stooped into respectful bows and Kairi made a modest curtsy. Fae felt terribly underdressed when, provided she wasn't in a skirt, she was forced to bow also. A curtsy in her vest and pants would just look silly.

Violet was the only one left standing since she was in a bit of a stupor. Was she honestly expected to show homage to a _mouse_? Beside her, Cloud sighed and elbowed her, gesturing discreetly to his posture. A tug on her sleeve from Fae prompted her to slump into a pitiful half-bow and then rise quicker than anyone else.

The King let out a high-pitched chuckle. "Gosh, guys, we've been through lots of stuff together. You don't have to do that."

"You have to keep face, Your Majesty," Riku said, though with a small smile that expressed how he had expected the King to say something like that. He nodded his head toward the two new females at his side and included, "Especially in front of guests."

"Oh, Fae!" the King gasped as though he just now realized who was in his study. "I almost didn't recognize you like that! Good to see you've come back to our side!"

"Um…thank you…?" was Fae's response.

Riku answered the King's puzzled look with, "Fae's developed some memory problems since she disappeared. She doesn't remember anything about meeting us or her _past experiences_ before that, including being a Maiden."

The King took this as a signal not to bring up anymore about the Organization or Castle Oblivion. Instead, he climbed down from his chair and walked toward her, hand outstretched.

"Then I guess this means we'll get to start over—King Mickey Mouse, and I'm please to meet a Maiden of the World."

Fae giggled and shook his hand before gesturing beside her. "St—Um—Violet and I are glad to make your acquaintance as well. Right?"

Violet tried to nod politely. "Uh…yeah."

Mickey's gaze met that of Cloud's. "Glad you could make it, even if I wasn't expecting you."

"I'm here on business and as emotional support."

"Violet lost her memory, same as Fae," inputted Sora. "Cloud met her before that and so he's here to put her at ease. No one knew who she _really_ was until we accidentally crashed at Radiant Garden."

"Sora…!" Riku chided, elbowing his friend in the ribs. He was hoping to put off explaining what happened to the King's ship as long as possible.

Luckily, Fae jumped in with a request. "May I ask you something, Your Majesty?"

"Sure!" said the King.

"Can you tell me what it means to be a Maiden of the World?"

Mickey nodded enthusiastically and hurried back to his desk where he jumped up and stood on his chair so everyone could see him clearly.

"I was just researching that myself! I found a book in our library that has a little history on it." He indicated the large yellow-paged book in front of him. "Every other topic has at least a chapter, but the Maidens have a page at best. They are Keepers of Light and their duty is to keep the balance of good and evil in the world—in a way, the balance of light and dark."

"They're like the Princesses of Heart?" asked their very own Princess.

"Wait. He said 'world'," Riku pointed out. "Wouldn't that mean they're Maidens of a particular world? Which one?"

"You're both right," replied the King. "They're both closely related. But the Maidens came before the Princesses. 'The world' refers to when all the separate worlds were just one." Here he started to read from the book. "'The Princesses came about after the darkness in the people's hearts became too powerful and the world had to split into many—each one with its own little bit of light.'"

Sora looked thoughtful. "That sounds familiar. About the worlds, I mean…" He looked to Donald and Goofy for some hint, but both of them shrugged. "Where have I heard it before?"

When the Keyblade Master didn't produce any recollection for several seconds, the King chuckled and continued reading select portions of the page. "'The Princesses are born with their abilities to combat the darkness with their light. In contrast, the Maidens are chosen and trained to maintain a balance (although, the source of where the decision is made and the training is unknown). The lives of the Princesses intertwine with the lives of the Maidens in that the Maidens cannot maintain a balance until they are bound with their opposite."

"Their darkness," Riku guessed.

"They do say opposites attract," said Violet, casting a smirk at Fae.

"But what about my memoires?" wondered Fae. "And the dark beach?"

"Maybe that was to prepare you," Sora suggested.

"So you wouldn't have anymore personal ties keeping you from doing your job," Kairi supplemented.

_That would make sense_, decided Fae, frowning at Violet's smirk. But we're so similar. _Wouldn't that mean that Storm…?_

"Have you tried using your light powers yet?" asked Donald.

Fae shook her head. "On the beach I called forth fire regularly…and that portal once."

"Portal?" Mickey repeated in bewilderment.

Riku shrugged. "It didn't surprise me. Last time we met it was obvious she could use the darkness."

"But that doesn't make sense if she's supposed to be a Keeper of Light," Violet interjected.

"I could only make it _once_," Fae reminded them.

"Have you tried since then?" Violet asked. Fae shook her head.

"Don't," Riku said before Violet had barely spoken the question. "Leave that power where it belongs."

"Which is…?" prodded Violet.

"Not here." She scoffed at his reply.

"I can find someone to help you with your light powers if you would like," the King offered.

Fae's visage brightened. "Would you?"

The King nodded. "Of course! I'll get on it right away! But first, we have to talk about why I called you here." The visitors all slipped into more casual positions, expecting the explanation to be a long one as King Mickey went on, "A couple nights ago, a tall, dark man snuck into the castle. He introduced himself as Nave."

"Never heard of him," said Sora.

Fae had to agree, but then why did her shoulder begin to ache and her hip start to burn as though it were on fire? She had noticed the scars. Was he the reason for them?

"He said there was a power source that helped the Maidens, but only he would be able to find it."

* * *

—**Flashback—**

_The man held up a tattered scroll for the bleary-eyed mouse to focus on. "See this? It's from your very own archives. It's going to lead me there. And when I find it?" He sneered the question as if the King himself had asked it and leaned in as if to share a secret. "I'm going to destroy it. The balance will be broken."_

—**End Flashback—

* * *

**

"Destroy the balance?" Kairi gasped.

Mickey nodded. "I looked everywhere to see if we had anymore clues about where the power source might be, but all I found was this." He gestured to the book in front of himself.

"So he escaped with the scroll?" Riku clarified.

Mickey nodded again and then hesitated when he said, "Through a portal."

"A portal," Donald repeated to himself.

"So who is he working for?" wondered Sora.

"And why would he tell you their plans?" inquired Cloud.

The King shifted in his seat.

* * *

—**Flashback—**

"_It's a game, Your Majesty," the man taunted. "I want to see how well your team pays attention. You tell your Keyblade Wielders that I'll be waiting for them. And it won't be in familiar territory."_

_Then he backed into the shadows in the corner of the room and disappeared. The only indications of his method of escape were the telltale wisps of darkness and the all-too-familiar sound of tearing through time and space._

—**End Flashback—

* * *

**

"We'll be going to new worlds?" asked Sora, sounding enthused about the prospect.

"There are thousands of worlds out there. How will we know which ones to go to?" asked Donald.

"Gawrsh, I guess we'll just have to ask if anyone's seen this Nave feller," said Goofy.

"I've already had one of my spies start looking," declared the King.

"Spies?" Riku and Sora questioned together.

Donald and Goofy chuckled to each other.

"What's so funny?" demanded Sora. "Who is it?"

Then the door to the study opened once more and a surprise individual entered their presence. For the second time in the span of an hour, Sora's jaw dropped.

* * *

—**Fae's POV—**

My eyes were enraptured with the man that had just entered the room. Not because his bright red hair and spirited green eyes would catch anyone's attention, but because I distinctly remembered those exact same features in a dream I had. He was the one who taught me how to use the portal.

"Reporting in, as requested, Your Majesty," he spoke, an inadequate bow following his self-confident tone. "I found him at our southern border and followed him to the boundaries of an unfamiliar world."

"Thank you—" began the King, but Sora beat him to the name.

"Axel?" the Keyblade Master blurted, momentarily forgetting his manners.

The redhead chucked and greeted the brunette with a casual wave. "Hey, Roxas."

I did a quick scan about the room to make sure no one had entered while I wasn't looking. No, he was talking to Sora. But who was Roxas?

Sora was in shock all over again and for several seconds all he could do was sputter incomprehensible phrases. We were finally able to translate, "Wha…? How…? Axel, how are you _alive_?"

The man ran a hand through his fiery locks and uttered, "Well, technically it's Lea now, but I guess I'll answer to either. Come on, man, after faking my death the first few times, did you really think I'd stay dead this time?"

Sora seemed to be wavering the options of hugging this stranger (hence, the growing grin) and beating him down (judging by the furrow in his brow). Eventually he just decided on pondering aloud, "Lea?"

"My Somebody's name." It was silent while Violet and I shared a look of confusion and the others apparently were considering what this meant. Axel didn't wait for them to come to their own conclusions. "I got my heart back."

"Heart?" I whispered to Violet, loud enough that Riku heard, too, I guess.

"We'll explain later," he said.

"How?" Sora gaped.

Axel's gaze drifted to the ceiling. "Well…I'm not really sure of that myself…" Then his emerald optics fixated on me and he made a swift topic change. "You found her. Good job, Roxas. Hey, Fae."

King Mickey smiled. "You two know each other. That's good!"

"We do?" I asked.

Axel looked to Sora in confusion. Since the Keyblade Master was still processing all the new surprises, Goofy took the liberty of exposing, "Fae's got some memories missin'."

The redhead nodded in perplexed understanding and then caught me off guard with the response, "Not just you and me—Violet, too. She's the other Maiden Nave was talking about."

By far the most astonished about this revelation was Violet. She was not the most girly person I had met so the title of "Maiden" didn't fit her persona and, although she was hardworking, she often disregarded authority (as we had experienced earlier in our introductions to the King). Who was going to be able to teach her?

"Really?" asked Kairi, excited about someone else who knew us girls in the past, but a nervous lilt was still present in her voice as if she didn't trust our informant.

Axel nodded. "They were both going to be used by the Organization before our ranks got cut in half—" He gave a pointed look to Sora and Riku. "—and they went AWOL. I guess that means they'll be used here at the Castle, huh?"

Sora started to nod before Violet stepped around Riku and to give him a dark glare.

"No, they're going with," she bit out as if to remind him that he had already given his consent.

"You'll be safer with the King," Sora insisted, undeterred.

"What? With all the mice and chipmunks and wannabe soldiers? Yeah, I can see how you could say that." She rolled her eyes and jabbed a finger into his black-vested chest. "Listen here, kid, I'm going. I know which ship is yours so I'll stowaway if I have to, but I'm going. The King already said he could get someone to teach us our powers so I can handle _myself_ and make _my own_ decisions, thank you!"

"I'd have to agree," I inputted, not at all keen on the prospect of Riku leaving me alone. I pointed to him, Cloud, and Sora. "Three warriors, a mage, and a knight…?"

"And a pyro," Axel added.

"Wack! You're not going!" Donald objected.

"Yeah, I am," Axel argued. "I know where Nave was last spotted, I know how to track him, and, from what I've heard, I can pilot a ship better than him." He pointed to Sora who smiled in embarrassment.

"Not by much," Donald muttered.

Axel bent down to the duck's level. "You wanna repeat that so I can fry you?"

I stepped between them so I could see to speak to Sora again and to diffuse the imminent quarrel. "I'm more comfortable with those odds than with what I've seen so far. No offense to His Majesty." King Mickey just shrugged, a smile firmly in place.

"Your Majesty!" Sora cried.

Riku sighed and rubbed his forehead, telling his friend, "We've already been through this, Sora. They aren't going to give up now."

Violet smiled. "Good boy."

Riku frowned at her. "That doesn't mean I have to like taking you along." He turned to the King. "Who's going to train them, Your Majesty?"

"I thought I'd ask my old teacher," answered the King.

"Master Yen Sid?" chorused Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

The _Master_ of the _King_? I don't think I could get anymore mortified by how casually dressed I was. Maybe I _should_ have chosen one of those dresses that Kairi had picked up from the thrift store…

* * *

Kateracks: It's not the most interesting or important chapter in the story, but it was necessary. I know it's the second filler-ish chapter in a row, but that's the end for now. The next one will be about a new world!

KissyNae: Oooohh, exciting!

Arait: We could always use more world suggestions—preferably ones that haven't been used before or haven't been used too much. If you have any…

Please Review!

Laters!

~K&K+A


	18. Chapter 18

Kateracks: We finally visit a new world and get into the action in this chapter!

Arait: I helped on this one!

Kateracks: It's a bit longer, though, so sorry if some of you like shorter chapters. Oh, and before we begin, our well wishes go out to KissNae who is not with us because she was in a car wreck. She's alright, but she's taking some time off. Now then…Read on!

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion. We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

Riku was exhausted. A lot had happened in the past few days, what with the King sending them a call for help, Fae suddenly crashing back into his life, leaving the Islands…again, and being drug into another life-changing adventure. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since they had found the King's letter, but despite that, he just couldn't sleep.

He didn't know what time it was, but he knew it had to be early morning by now. He had had quite a bit of experience with sleepless nights, even before they got the letter and when he ceased to be able to distinguish between nightmares while he was asleep and those had while awake in the dark…well, he knew the morning light would come before he would get any peace. He thought he would be able to relax, at least for a little while. Turned out he was wrong.

Sora stirred in the bed beside his and Riku decided it must be one of those "awake" times. He could barely make out the mound of blankets and messy hair by the starlight coming through the window of the boys' cabin. He also knew that Cloud was along the opposite wall as he had seen the elder warrior already brooding when he came in to attempt sleep. Fae, Violet, and Kairi were in the newly created girls' cabin down the hall and Donald and Goofy were taking their turn piloting the ship. Axel had opted for sleeping in one of the cockpit chairs as it would be his turn to steer the ship next. Riku remembered Axel and he didn't trust him by any means, but at least Riku wasn't alone on an adventure where he'd encounter the pyro this time. A faint smile crossed his face as Fae's voice passed through his mind from when he walked in on the Maidens' training session with Master Yen Sid.

—**Flashback—**

"_A Maiden who can't use the light? Not anymore!"_

_She held a Blitzball size orb of light out for him to see, the smile of elation accompanying the feat so warm he thought his heart might melt. When he nodded approval in return, she spun and threw the orb at the wall where it exploded into several shafts that ricocheted off the surrounding surfaces and zigzagged around the room._

"_And check this out!" chimed Violet. "She's not as weak as we thought!"_

"_We?" Riku repeated._

"_You were thinking it," said Violet._

"_Hey now!" Fae scolded._

"_Catch!" called Violet and hurled a light ball of her own at the redhead. Fae responded by shooting one back and the two collided between them._

_Riku had never seen a genuine smile on Violet's face before, but the grin she had sprouted competed with the one Fae wore as their powers fought against each other. The brightness in the room increased significantly and Riku shut his eyes just in time to avoid the blinding detonation of the evenly matched forces. When he opened them again, the room was shimmering with stray floating shards, casting rainbow prisms everywhere. He held up a hand to examine one he caught in his palm and then glanced back at Master Yen Sid who wore a self-satisfied smile and chuckled._

—**End Flashback—

* * *

**

Riku sat up and stretched before he realized he was still in the boys' cabin. At what point had he fallen asleep? And how did he feel so well rested right now? What time was it? A survey of the room confirmed that Sora and Cloud weren't in their beds anymore, which was really strange since Sora never got up earlier than Riku a day in his life.

"Land ho, kiddies!" resonated from the direction of the cockpit and Riku again questioned whether letting Axel tag along was really a good idea.

He made his way out to the cockpit where he could examine the world Axel was preparing to land on.

"Is all that white stuff…snow?" Sora asked.

"Looks like it's going to be a cold world," Kairi remarked.

"Get out your parkas and prepare to disembark," said Axel as he came in for a screeching halt.

* * *

Once the ship was set down in one piece and everyone stepped out of the hatch, Donald's magic took over, transforming them into beings that would fit into that particular universe. But as limbs shortened, posture morphed, and coats of fur grew, the group of humans realized the result wasn't exactly what they had in mind.

"What the heck is this?" Axel demanded, examining his four paws, red fur, and curly tail sprouted from his backside.

"I think it's called a Husky," Cloud said, frowning at how his sword had shrunk to remain strapped to the spotted, blonde hide of his back, a color not very characteristic of a lynx. Clawed paws dug at the ground while a bobbed tail and long-haired cat ears flicked in agitation. He certainly looked much less satisfied with the change than most everyone else.

Sora, Donald and Goofy seemed accustomed to the change. The Keyblade Master was already stretching his brown wolf legs, walking circles around an irritated looking grey wolf who used to be Riku. Donald had hardly changed at all except his beak had taken on a slightly different shape and when Axel snuck up behind him and barked his dissatisfaction, the duck-turned-goose honked loudly in surprise. Goofy had undergone the biggest change out of the three. His floppy dog ears now stood straight up, his hands and feet had hardened into hooves, and an impressive set of antlers (even by caribou standards) had fused themselves to the top of his head.

"I demand that me and Fae switch species right now!" Violet complained through a muzzle of sharp teeth.

"I dunno," said Axel, cocking his head as he examined the Maidens. "I think a weasel fits your personality better than a fox. See?" He nodded toward Fae who had pulled her bushy tail shyly up to her face at his scrutinizing look.

Violet scowled at the Husky. He was more of a weasel than she was. "Why you…! If I was myself, I'd…"

She sat up on her back legs and put her small front paws up in the way she had practiced, envisioning herself shooting Axel with balls of light. Both she and the pyro yelped from surprise when her imagining suddenly produced reality and two marble-sized white orbs collided with his shoulder.

"Just because we're animals that doesn't mean we can't fight," said Sora. His Keyblade appeared in his mouth and he slashed it from side to side as a demonstration.

"I don't think that will work well for Kairi," Fae remarked and gestured to the red squirrel sitting beside her. A Keyblade was not a very feasible weapon for a creature of her stature.

"We'll worry about that later," the Princess said and hopped off to explore. After all, only a few people knew that she had learned magic from Merlin back in Radian Garden and the boys were not those few.

They had landed near the edge of a forest and they first made their way toward a town they had seen as they were landing to question whoever might talk to such an odd assortment of animals…or whoever would still be awake by the time they got there. The time change was different as it was in most worlds and the sun was already setting.

As they emerged from the treeline, they stood at the edge of a body of water containing a ship that had run aground in the shallow tide and a vast expanse of white snow behind it leading to the small town. They circled around the water and had barely reached the ship when Donald was pounced on by a large dog with russet-colored fur. The travelers shifted into various defensive stances to accommodate their new animal postures, but they didn't attack as the dog began to prattle off.

"Boris, we've got a problem. Rosy's in the hospital and I took Jenna down to the boiler room to find out why. She's really sick and the hospital is out of medicine. If I don't do something—"

"Uh, I think you have the wrong bird," Sora interrupted. "That's Donald and he's with us."

The other dog looked at them in shock, having just noticed that he was before an assemblage of animals he didn't recognize. He opened his mouth to say something, but a heavily accented voice behind him cut off his reply.

"One would think you'd be able to tell difference."

Behind the puzzled canine stood a new arrival who was the spitting image of Donald most recent form. The dog turned to the goose he had apparently been looking for and admitted, "It's not my fault you both look the same, Boris."

Boris waddled around the dog to examine his duplicate, but backpedalled and gasped in fear when he caught sight of Donald's companions. He grabbed his friend by the tail and gave it a tug as he fled the opposite direction.

"Vild animals! Run, Balto, run!"

Balto stood his ground and his feathered friend only succeeded in heaping up a mound of snow in the wake of his unsuccessful escape.

"Don't be afraid," Kairi coaxed as she hopped toward the frightened bird. "They won't hurt you."

"Ha!" the goose scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You're too small to make a meal."

"We're not here for food," said Sora. "We're looking for someone."

"We know nothing," claimed Boris. "You heard, we have our own problems. We go. Now." He pushed his dog friend the other way.

"Wait!" Fae called after them. "What if we help you help that girl?" She looked to Riku for approval.

He nodded after a moment of consideration and a consulting look with Sora. It was as good a place to start as any. "How about it? We'll help you if you help us."

Balto cocked his head as he studied the strange team of creatures. He wasn't afraid of wild animals like Boris, even ones who carried sharp objects on their backs. Because he was a half-breed, he didn't feel a special connection to wolves nor the Husky (or he denied that he did), but he didn't resent them. He really had no reason not to accept their offer anyway. If they had wanted to attack him, they would have already done it while he was distracted with Boris's lookalike. Why not work with them? They more help the better—it was for Rosy.

He nodded his consent, much to the horror of Boris.

"So what do you plan to do?" asked Sora.

Balto sighed. "I'm not sure yet. But I can't go back into town tonight. They think I stole some meat so they'll be looking for me."

"Then let's search this area tonight and we'll save sick girls tomorrow," said Axel and off he went, leaving the others no choice but to follow him.

* * *

Their efforts produced no fruitage and by early morning, everyone minus Balto and Boris had returned to the Gummi to catch what little sleep they could. When the sun was high in the sky, they once again returned to the beach ship to find Balto. He was on his way into town when they caught up to the half-breed and Boris.

"Where are you going?" Sora asked.

"The town is holding a race. The medicine was sent overnight, but the storms stopped the ships and airplanes. Their last hope is to send it by train, but the route only goes partway. The race is to decide which dogs will be on the sled team that will pick it up," explained Balto.

"Can we go into town to watch it?" Kairi inquired.

Balto smiled down at her. "You can. Violet, Axel, and Donald can, too. But the rest of you…"

Goofy and Sora visibly wilted and the Keyblade Master sulked, "We have to stay behind because we'll scare the townsfolk, right?"

Balto frowned empathetically and then turned a thoughtful look toward the community. After a moment he uttered, "Maybe not. Come on," and bounded through the snow.

When he reached the border, he led them toward what would have been a shipyard if the water hadn't been coated with a thick layer of ice. The ships were positioned up on stilts to keep the wooden hulls from freezing and becoming brittle. Balto stopped by one of these and waited for the others to slide their way over to him—a funny sight indeed as the travelers were only now getting accustomed to being on four legs rather than two and the ice just complicated matters. Kairi, Violet, Axel, Donald, and Boris waited on the shore to laugh as the spectacle unfolded.

While a few of their friends were more skilled at the process (namely Cloud because he had the ability to run up buildings, Riku because he was patient enough to plan his footing, and Fae because she was always cautious), others were not so lucky. Sora's paws spent more time slipping out from under him than taking him anywhere. After observing this for several seconds, Goofy decided he would get a running start and simply skate over to the ship. This plan would have worked had Sora not tripped right in his path, causing the skating caribou's front hooves to cave underneath him. As he flopped over the Keybearer, his antlers gave Fae a shove, propelling her into Riku who landed on his back beside her.

Those waiting on the shore were about to die laughing as their friends shakily picked themselves up and climbed the ladder to the deck of the ship, save Goofy who hid in the shadows of the hull. Balto allowed the onlookers to compose themselves and then he led them along an alley leading in to town. Hopping up onto a trashcan, he jumped up onto a wobbly fence where he could see over the heads of the crowd gathered to watch the race. Boris, Violet and Kairi followed him up, but Axel and Donald crawled through a hole created by a loose board, the former laying down in the snow, not particularly excited about only being a spectator.

"All mushers, get yer dogs ready! The race is about to begin!" a man announced.

"Balto, racing is a spectator sport. It requires very little preparation," Boris said, swaying unsteadily on the fence until he reached the other side. "You sit, you arrange refreshments." Here he reclined on a window sill and took a box from the house on the other side. "You like potato chips?" he inquired of the girls and his friends as he popped one into his mouth. A moment later he hiccupped and a glossy bubble floated from his mouth. In shock, Boris flipped the box around to see the label which clearly read "Soap Flakes."

Kairi and Violet giggled but Balto wore a determined look on his face and said, "I'm not watching the race, I'm running it."

Boris coughed out the remains of the soap and demanded, "You said _what_?"

"I'm gonna help Rosy get better," Balto insisted. Boris returned to the rickety fence to confront the wolf-dog, but Balto jumped over and behind him as soon as the goose opened his mouth. "I can get the medicine through."

Boris flipped around again to confront the half-breed, but already Balto had jumped behind him. He remained still this time when Boris spun and blurted, "First of all, get it through your head that they wouldn't put you in a sled team even if you _did_ win which _won't happen_ and if it _did_ it _wouldn't matter_!"

Balto smirked. "Boris, did you ever think maybe you're the reason the other geese fly south?"

Boris frowned. "If only your feet were as fast as your mouth."

"What's wrong with him racing?" questioned Violet. "The worst that can happen is that he'll lose and have to find another way to help Rosy and impress Jenna."

"Yeah. You're supposed to be supportive of your friends," scolded Kairi.

A whistle blew in the distance and Balto's ears perked up, an excited smile coming to his face. "Hey, they're starting!" he announced, jumped off the fence, and trotted toward the starting line, calling over his shoulder, "Wish me luck!"

"_Luck?_" cried Boris. "I don't wish you _luck_! I wish you _sense_!" He gave up when Balto didn't return and muttered, "Good luck, kiddo."

Balto took his place among the line of Chinooks, Huskies, and Malamutes, all purebred sled dogs. He set a determined look on his face and focused on the street that would serve as a racetrack so he wouldn't hear the whispering and objections about his presence.

Beside him, one such dog named Kaltag was having a fit. "Balto? What are you, nuts? If Steele catches you here, he's gonna turn you into kibble!"

Steele, Balto's rival; he was the last thing the half-breed was worried about. He had caused Balto a great deal of trouble already so he was an annoyance, yes, but Balto would cross that bridge when he came to it. For now he had to win the race.

On his other side was Nikki who did not have a problem with the addition to the line-up. "Let us let the half-dog run. It will be fun making him eat our snow."

Balto's muscles tightened as the crowd quieted momentarily. His paws dug into the snow, ready to kick off. Then a gunshot echoed into the open sky and the dogs took off.

Nikki and Kaltag blocked his path, but he easily moved around them and up to their sides. He couldn't help the small smirk that made its way across his muzzle. He was just as fast if not faster than any of these purebreds. He was going to win this race if it took all he had. And it just might.

As they rounded a bend in the road, Nikki managed to get ahead of him a little and kicked backward, hitting Balto in the face. He was sent rolling down a hill and sprawling onto the ice near the ships where some of the travelers were waiting.

Boris shouted furiously, "Hey! That's a foul! Where's the referee, is he blind?"

Sora and Fae jumped angrily to their feet, the female chastising, "They're cheating!"

Riku stepped down on the ends of their tails before they decided to act rashly. "Calm down."

"It's not fair!" Fae scowled.

"He has it under control," Cloud stated. "Look."

Balto had managed to gain his feet and slip his way over to several posts that were protruding from the ice. Heaving himself up onto the first, he balanced a moment on all four paws and then jumped to the next post and the next.

Boris could be heard rooting for him across town, "Go, Balto, go! Jump! Jump! Jump! That's my boy!"

Beside Axel, a female red Husky who could be identified as Balto's love interest appeared through the wooden fence and cried, "Go, Balto!"

Ahead of the wolf-dog, the ice had thinned to freezing water, but a floating barrel served as his passage back onto dry land where he sprinted under the line of ships to one next to his friends.

Boris was still shouting directions. "Balto, where are you going? That's the wrong way. Balto, get back in the race!"

Climbing a ladder leant against the wooden hull, he dashed across the deck and jumped onto the next ship over, leaping over his friends and over the side to the front of the racing pack of dogs. Nikki pulled up short to avoid tripping over him. A competitor behind the Husky attempted to jump over Nikki, but couldn't quite make it and landed on his head instead, filling Nikki's mouth with snow.

Boris's cry of elation could be heard by those on the edge of the town, "Who's eating whose snow now, mutt?"

Shouts of surprise and excitement rocked the town when Balto passed first over the finish line. Sora jumped up onto the ship's railing and yelled, "Way to go, Balto!"

"He did it!" Fae laughed and pounced on Riku wearing a huge smile before she ran to the ladder and climbed down to Goofy, asking, "Did you see that?"

Cloud passed Riku a knowing look accompanied by a raised eyebrow when the wolf continued to lay stunned on the deck even after she left. A moment later he shook himself off like nothing happened and ordered, "Sora, get down or I'll step on your tail again. The townsfolk are wary enough of Balto. How do you think they'd feel about you?"

* * *

"Did I teach him well! I could kiss that crazy pooch!" Boris cheered.

"Let's go congratulate him!" Kairi said to Violet as she scurried off the fence and toward the finish line.

Donald turned back toward the gap in the fence and told Boris, "We should go get the others."

Axel stretched and padded along after the girls, keeping stride with Jenna. They emerged through the crowd in time to hear a pompous-looking Siberian Husky order, "Nikki, Kaltag, Star, move it. We're strapping up."

"Hey wait just a second here, Steele," Balto reminded him. "I was the fastest dog."

Axel was sure Steele's eyes twitched and he almost felt his own do the same when the Husky demanded, "You were the fastest _what_?" He started circling Balto. "Do you honestly think any musher would put you on their team? You're more messed up than I thought."

"Steele," Jenna reprimanded. "It doesn't matter who's on the team. So long as the medicine gets through. Stop being such a glory hound!"

Steele's eyes observed the squirrel, weasel, and Husky he had just been chided in front of and then tried to save face by agreeing, "You're a hundred percent right, Jenna. I-I wasn't thinking about those children. The-the important thing here is to get the medicine through, and that's just what I'm gonna do." He turned back to Balto and attempted an aside, but Violet and Kairi were sitting close enough to hear him mutter, "And when I get back, I'm gonna fold you five ways and leave you for a cat toy."

Violet stood up on her hind paws and put her front ones out toward Steele in the threatening position she had used on Axel when they first arrived. "How would you like—"

"Violet—!" Axel barked.

"Good dog, Steele. Good boy," cut the pyro off, causing Kairi and Violet to scurry behind Axel to stay out of sight as a musher walked toward them. He gestured toward Balto and Steele's eyes grew dark, giving the wolf-dog a sidelong glance that the onlookers did not like. "Now let's take a look at our winner here. Let's take a look at our winner…"

As the musher's hand neared Balto, Steele stomped down on his front paw. The half-dog let out a snarl of pain and the man jerked his hand away.

"We can't trust this one," he said to his partner. "He's part wolf."

"See those teeth?" the other man said.

"He might turn on me," said Steele's master and called his chosen team, "Nikki, Kaltag, Star, let's go!"

Steele passed them all a smug look as he followed after the humans and Violet couldn't contain herself anymore. She was determined to wipe that expression off his face and shot a ball of light after him. She smiled sweetly when he yelped and glared at her while he backed away. It didn't encourage Balto, though. His chances to help Rosy had just been blown by no fault of his own.

"Balto, I'm sorry…" began Jenna, but Balto was retreating.

"Better not talk to me, Jenna. I might turn on you."

"Balto, wait." He was already loping back to the outskirts of town. "Balto!"

Axel, Kairi, and Violet passed her a sympathetic glance as they, too, returned to the edge of town to meet up with their friends.

"Balto just passed by without a word to us," Fae said when they approached.

"What happened?" asked Boris.

"Didn't he make the team?" wondered Donald.

"The musher said he couldn't trust him," Kairi explained.

"Yeah, some big-shot Husky sabotaged him," inputted Violet.

All eyes turned to Axel. "Hey, why do you all assume it was me? I didn't do it."

"You're the only big-shot Husky we know," Sora responded.

"But I'm not the only one here."

"Hey, maybe one of those other Huskies know where we can find Nave," suggested Goofy.

"We'll come back and check it out after dark," Riku planned.

* * *

That night, Cloud, Axel, Riku, and Sora returned to the town in search of any sign of Nave. The girls, Donald, and Goofy returned to the ship to rest. No one had seen Balto since that morning, but they hadn't looked inside his ship at risk of disturbing him in a bad mood.

The four boys made it to the alley Axel had visited earlier in time to see the sled team take off. The man from the local telegraph station was hanging a lantern at his front door.

"Yep, as long as there's hope for those kids, I'll keep this lit. It'll guide the team back."

The boys ducked into the shadows as the team started on their journey and remained there until the streets cleared of humans. They then decided that since Axel was the only domesticated dog among them, he should do the interrogating and the other three would search any hiding places they could find. Axel sighed as he split off from the group. Everyone would be excited about the team departing on their expedition and not be in any mood to talk to a foreigner about sightings of any other foreigner. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Balto watched the team leave town in dejected silence from the bow of his home. He couldn't believe he had been left behind again. It would have been one thing to have been denied because he wasn't good enough, but to be denied because of his breeding was wrong, especially when lives were at stake. He wouldn't admit it, but if anything his heritage made him much better qualified than those purebreds anyway.

"Ahoy, Captain," a female voice called from the ground and he looked down upon the small, bushy-tailed shadow that was Fae. "May I come up?"

He nodded his consent and listened as she climbed through a hole in the base of the ship and scampered up to his side. They both watched quietly while the lantern on the sled disappeared in the trees.

Fae sighed. "It should have been you leading that team. You would have brought that medicine back in half the time of Mr. Ego Mountain."

Balto snorted. "Steele's the best. He'll get it through."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Balto frowned. "I thought not. He's the best next to you and everyone else…maybe. I bet I could even outrun him and that would just be sad."

Now he laughed. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Fae hung her head. "I don't sleep much. I told them I wanted to be on the search party, but they told me to stay behind. What do you do at night?"

There was a pause as Balto considered his options. Finally, he looked down at Fae and asked, "Are you hungry?"

* * *

—**About a Day and a Half Later—**

"Make sure you lash it down tight," the musher instructed the two men carrying the fragile crate of antitoxin.

Six ropes attached the box to the sled, weaving to and fro through a hoop on the top of the sled's lantern. Once the musher was sure his precious cargo was secure, he stepped onto the foot boards and commanded his team homeward.

"Giddap, Steele! Giddap!"

"Take care now, ya hear?" one of the men called as the dog barking receded into the sound of the billowing wind and the storm closed in. A lone train horn rose up in the lonely hills and the commander called for everyone to board. They had to make it home as well before that was no longer a possibility—much sooner for some than they would have hoped.

* * *

Steele peered into the seemingly endless blur of flakes, the frozen particles clinging to his lashes and weighing down his fur. He had lost their trail some time ago and was really not sure if he was headed in the right direction to get back on. There were no trees to block the wind and he couldn't see any of the familiar land formations that usually showed him the way. He couldn't even see the prints he had left behind only seconds before to tell him where he'd already been.

"Come on!" he urged team, but some of them were beginning to doubt his abilities.

"Steele, maybe we should go back! We're lost!" Star suggested.

"I am _not_ lost!" Steele growled furiously at him, staring him into the ground.

"Lost? Did I say lost?" the smaller dog chattered. "No, you didn't let me finish. See, what I wanted to say was that I was gonna—"

"This way." Steele chose a random direction and hoped that his instincts had pointed him that way. Other than a surprised yap, Star didn't protest further and followed after his leader. The dogs behind them lowered their heads into the air pushing against them and pressed forward. They really had no other choice.

* * *

After Balto and Fae were discovered by the search party already in town to be rummaging through the garbage behind a butcher's shop without causing an uproar, they were given the night shifts. Fae slept part of the days before in preparation while the boys returned to scouring deeper into the surrounding forest. But the world was just too big to do a systematic search it seemed. How would they ever find Nave at this rate?

When the wolf-dog and fox set out for their shift, Balto suggested that they go to the boiler room and listen in on the dogs that spent the stormy nights there. They usually kept up on all the latest gossip. As the two approached, though, panicked barking from the direction of the telegraph station broke through the still of the night.

"What's he saying?" Fae asked her companion.

"I can't really hear over the wind. But we can find out. Come on."

Climbing a pile of firewood at the back of the boiler room, the two were able to poke their heads through a high window and hear the conversation going on within. A large, thick-furred male dog turned away from the door where he had been listening and padded into a circle of worried dogs. He shook his head sadly.

"It's terrible, my friends, just terrible," he expressed to the others. "Steele and his team are lost."

Objections were raised from the surrounding group—disbelieving exclamations of "What? No!", "Steele!", and "What do you mean, lost?"

"They've missed their second checkpoint. They're off the trail."

"Can't they send another team?" a rusty-colored Husky asked hopefully.

"It's too dangerous for us, and our men," said the elder.

"What about…them little ones?" the same Husky asked.

The larger dog shook his head again. "The medicine won't be here in time. We're going to lose them."

Balto turned away, anxiety crossing his features. "Rosy…" he muttered and hurried down the pile of lumber and across the street to the hospital.

"Balto, wait! I think we should talk to those dogs!" Fae whispered as she trotted after him, stopping by his side at the window to Rosy's room.

Inside the girl was sleeping restlessly and her father was talking gently to the physician. "Please, doctor, it's the only medicine we've got."

The medical professional removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes, agreeing, "Okay…"

The door opened and Rosy's mother let Jenna into the room. The female dog cautiously approached the bed and licked the girl's hand. Rosy stirred and smiled down at her best friend.

"Jenna…?" she wheezed and only a second later fell back asleep.

"Freezing to death would be too good for Steele after what he's doing to these kids and their families," Fae declared and turned away from the sad sight.

Tapping from a nearby building reached Balto's ears and he followed the sound over to an open door. Inside the local carpenter was hammering small nails into his latest project. The two canines shared a curious look (Why was he working so late?) and watched as the human lifted his creation and placed it against the back wall of his workshop. Their stomachs clenched painfully at the carpenter's heartrending headshake as he examined his three finished coffins—one larger to fit a teenager and two the size of young children.

"Rosy…" Balto murmured another time.

Fae studied his downturned face as they wandered away. She could guess what was coming (they couldn't just let the kids die) so when a determined frown set on Balto's muzzle, she asked, "What are you thinking?"

"What else? I have to go find the team."

"We can't just leave without telling anyone."

Balto stopped. "We?"

Fae nodded. "I want to help, too. That was part of the agreement, remember?"

"It's really dangerous out there, Fae."

"Good."

"Good?"

"We're looking for someone dangerous. He's not around here so he has to be out there."

Balto couldn't argue with that logic and turned around to return to his home and gather everyone.

* * *

"Balto, please. Don't go crazy on me now," Boris begged when they were all once again headed in the right direction. He tripped and fell into a snowdrift, having to climb out onto a metal pipe that was part of the town's water main before he could continue his plea. "This is foolishness! You will die like a dog! …Wait. No offense."

The lid over the pipe spun out from underneath him and he fell screaming into the inner workings. As the band of animals traveled along a frozen stream underneath, they could hear his words echo from within, "You'll be frozen stiff by morning!" He popped out of an open valve and landed on the ice behind them, calling after them, "When you are big, frozen stiff statue named Balto—" His feet slipped out from under him. "—don't come crying to me!"

Cloud checked over his shoulder and pulled Violet to the side as the group's newest additions, two polar bears named Muk and Luk that the others had come across while searching forest, came skiing down the icy path and took Boris along with them. When they stopped, the larger bear, Luk, whimpered out a question—whimpering apparently being how he communicated. Muk understood, the rest of them didn't. Or, at least they didn't think they did.

Violet raised a brow and commented, "Boy, am I glad none of us turned into polar bears."

"He says—" Muk began to translate.

Boris finished, "'Where is he going?' He's going into _freezing_ coldness to find a dog he doesn't like to bring medicine back to a town that doesn't like him." He paused and then realized what he had just said, and cried, "Oh no! I'm beginning to understand the bear!"

The two bears cheered and applauded while Fae said, "I think it's a great idea. Those kids need our help. We have enough dogs, it should be easy to track them now that the snow's let up a little."

"Not to mention we could find our guy in the process," Riku pointed out.

Boris continued to rant, "Bears! Dogs!" His complaining went on even after it was muffled by Balto grabbing his beak in his jaws and dragging the flailing, protesting bird over to the hospital window where he was then released. The griping resumed with, "No brain at all! Might as well be talking to shoe…lace…"

His persistent objections tapered off when he caught sight of Rosy laying on the bed inside. She shifted, took a labored breath, and then fell into coughing. Boris's serious face fell to pity and he left the window and started toward the edge of town.

"So, let's go get the medicine," he said.

Balto looked after him. "Wait a minute. Now _you're_ coming?"

"Spending days in bitter cold, facing wild animals! Risking death from exposure!" Boris chuckled to himself. "It's like holiday in old country."

Sora grinned. "Sounds exciting."

"Yeah. Remind me what country that is so I can avoid it," grumbled Axel.

Muk was pleased with the arrangements. "Wow. Luk, we're going on holiday!"

Balto shook his head at the friends he chose to surround himself with and ran to catch up with them.

* * *

As the rescue group traversed into the night, Jenna was sent back outside. She returned to the window that looked into the room where Rosy was staying, determined not to leave her girl's side with the end so near. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she laid her head across her paws on the windowsill and sniffed back her tears. At that moment, though, she whiffed a familiar scent left there and followed the smell until her nose was pointing her toward a great collection of paw prints carving winding paths through the snow toward the deep forest.

"Balto…"

* * *

As the morning came and the terrain grew into one that Balto did not know, he took a moment to rake his nails over a tree trunk. The bark peeled off in a distinctive mark that could easily be recognized again. Satisfied with his work, he journeyed on.

"Good, Balto! You took on the roughest, toughest, meanest tree in the forest! And you won. Hey," Boris joked.

"Practicing to take on Steele?" Axel inquired.

Behind him, Goofy squared off with the tree and Violet had to jump out of the way as Muk prepared to box it into submission.

"I'm marking the trail," Balto enlightened them.

Muk calmed himself and was sure to tell those around him, "He's marking our trail. He's very clever."

Violet was disturbed when she watched Luk lick the mark on the tree as he passed by. She nudged Cloud. "Did I mention how glad I am that we weren't turned into polar bears?"

"You did," he acknowledged.

"I think they're cute," said Kairi.

"After a few days of traveling with them you may be singing a different tune," Violet warned as Muk started a game of I Spy and picked "something beginning with 's'."

* * *

The day wore on and turned into night. The company pressed on over miles of slick mountain paths, fighting blustery winds and newly fallen snow. The occasional glimpse of the full moon, faint howling of wolf packs, and distant braying of a moose or two were the only things reminding them that they weren't totally alone when the air grew suddenly still. By morning a fresh coat of snowflakes had covered any possible tracks left by the missing sled dogs, but that did not hide their lingering scent from Balto's sensitive nose.

As they came over a ridge and viewed yet another vast expanse of land, the wolf-dog tipped his nose to the breeze and sniffed.

"Steele…" he murmured to himself and those near him.

Fae put her nose to the white powder between her paws and snuffled around for whatever her new friend had caught the scent from. Not finding it, she asked him, "How can you tell?"

Balto didn't answer, still following his nose for the next direction they should take.

"Everyone has a distinctive scent," Riku explained to her.

"Maybe Steele eats a particular dog food or sleeps at the foot of his master," Sora inputted.

"You're used to having a human nose which can barely pick up those smells, but canines have noses built for tracking those kinds of scents," Riku went on. "We've been honing those skills."

Sora encouraged her, "You should try it."

"I don't think I'd be very good at tracking," Fae admitted. "I can smell all kinds of things, but I can't distinguish between all of them." She took a brief sniff at Riku's shoulder and recognized, "Sea salt. But you've been away too long; you're starting to lose it. Now you smell like Gummi blocks."

Muk did his best to sniff out what Balto was tracking as well, but his nose led him right over to Luk's armpit. Catching hint of something offensive, he jerked away and held his nose, fanning the air. Violet stepped to the other side of Cloud.

"You can walk by him for a while."

"Come on," Balto called back to them. "Steele and his team passed this way."

"Boy, is he lost," Boris muttered to Donald.

* * *

"Steele, we're going in circles!" Star shouted over the howling wind as the leader pulled the team to a stop.

"_What?_" Steele growled to his minion.

Star shuddered underneath his glare and stuttered, "C-Circles is a good thing. I mean they're—they're circular."

The other dogs turned on their team captain, crowding in, growling and passing blame. Steeled panicked and made another attempt to save face.

"I know what I'm doing!" He spun away and made a quick decision. "It's…It's…This way! Come on!"

He jerked the team forward and took off running at his top speed, despite his master's protests of, "Whoa, team! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, Steele!" No distinct landmarks stood out among the sea of white flurries. The ends of his fur began to crystallize into icicles and it became harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

Then the ground abruptly fell out from beneath his feet and although he tried to stop and backpedal out of the drop, he his paws only met ice. He pulled the team over with him and they slid down the face of the cliff much faster than any of the heel dogs could gain control. The sled careened to one side, taking the musher right into a rock mass and was directed back to the other side where it met another boulder. By the time the team rolled to a stop at the base of the incline, their master was unconscious and they were even farther off the trail than before.

Dog after dog broke through piles of snow. Nikki was the first to groan, "I hit my head on somethin'."

"Yeah, _my_ head," Kaltag answered from behind him.

Another husky checked on the musher. "Looks like he's hurt bad, Steele."

"Wh-What are we gonna do now, Steele?" Star sniveled.

The lead dog could only sit shivering, staring out into the endless void of white that he had put them in.

* * *

Cloud dodged a snowball and glanced over at Violet who was in the midst of a snowball fight with Kairi, Goofy, Muk, and Luk. Wasn't she the one who said that they'd be tired of the polar bears after a few days? He shook his head and sidestepped when Goofy bumped up against a tree, causing all the snow on one of the branches to bury Donald.

A second later the irritated goose emerged, shouting, "What's the big idea?"

A ball of snowflakes exploded on the back of Sora's head courtesy of Kairi and the Keyblade Master gave chase, saying, "You're gonna get it now, Kairi! I can run faster than you!"

"You can't climb trees!" taunted Kairi as she scampered up a pine and out of Sora's reach.

Boris turned and shushed them all but a snowball slammed into his face and dropped him into a snowdrift.

"Brilliant!" Muk cheered. "Right on the beak! What a bulls-eye!" The two bears performed a victory dance, but were interrupted by the sounds of Boris drumming his feathered fingers and staring them down.

"I-It was him," Muk blamed, pointing at Luk. Luk whimpered a disagreement, but Muk didn't translate it.

Balto and Fae shared a smile which faltered at the sounds of a soft growling.

"What was that?" Fae whispered.

Balto wasn't sure, but she could see his pupils shrinking. "Guys, I think—" He focused on a spot between two trees where he swore he saw a dark shape move. "I think we should keep moving."

Sora returned to Riku's side, Donald shook the snow out of his feathers, and Boris climbed out of his snowdrift.

"Is that your answer to all problems? Motion?" the latter grumbled, popping his back and honking indignantly.

"Luk, Muk, come on! Let's get going!" Balto urged the last of the strugglers.

"Come on, boys. Let's go, boys. Faster, boys." Boris muttered to Donald, the other goose nodding his understanding. "Easy to say for a guy with four legs!"

His complaints were cut short when his head was fastened to the ground by another snowball. "Okay, that's it!" he growled as he dislodged his noggin from the snow bank.

Fae smiled in Riku's direction as Boris attempted to intimidate the spirited bears. Riku was not paying attention. His nose was turned to the wind and his hackles were rising.

"What's wrong?"

"Darkness," he replied.

"Nave," Axel guessed.

"Where?" Fae asked, heart rate increasing.

The grey wolf's head whipped around and spied a bear standing over the two polar bears, geese, and Goofy, paws raised to strike and roaring.

Donald and Goofy booked it to a safe distance, but Boris, Muk, and Luk were frozen with fear. That is, until the bear took a swipe at Boris and he scooted himself right into a loose, hollowed stump. The bear took another shot and flipped the stump over on top of Muk and Luk, catching Goofy's antlers along the way and dragging his head to the ground.

Balto was the first to help, lunging toward the towering black bear, but was promptly batted out of the air. Sora, Riku, and Cloud went to work leading the bear away while Donald and Axel went to work to free their other friends.

Sora cried out in alarm as the bear roared fiercely and dropped down to all four feet, sending out a shockwave twice the length of his body. Riku's feet were knocked out from under him and Cloud was sent flying into a tree. Fortunately, the lynx who was a warrior before coming to this world, met the tree trunk with his hind paws and sprang back toward the enemy, taking his sword in his teeth. As he drove his blade across Nave's shoulders, Sora surrounded their enemy with a lightning spell and Riku weaved between the bolts to leap on the bear's back.

Nave roared a third time and his burly body began to radiate with darkness and stomped his front feet, sending Sora and Cloud sprawling before he rolled to his side and flipped Riku off.

"Fae, we can combat that darkness!" Violet reminded the other Maiden.

She bounded over to the fox from where Cloud had told her to take cover behind a tree and together they sent orb after orb of light into Nave's dark aura. Gradually they caused the evil to weaken, but not quick enough. Nave charged toward the two females and prepared to claw them in half, but Kairi cast a fire spell into the side of his head from her perch in a tree. The angle of Nave's swipe altered quickly and took the branch clean off the trunk throwing Kairi from the pine and onto Fae's back. Fae flicked another light orb off her tail as retaliation, but it did little to send Nave running. Instead he directed a shockwave after them.

A gruff cry originated from in front of the girls and when they opened their eyes, Riku was there, a crystalline shield deflecting the blow away.

"Fae, get Violet and Kairi out of here!" he commanded.

"I don't need—Hey!" Violet shouted as Fae ran by and scooped the weasel's scruff into her mouth.

Fae wasn't sure where she was supposed to take her friends, but she didn't have much choice when the ground abruptly dropped off into a steel hillside. She was forced to run faster as gravity pulled them downward so she didn't flip end over end and crush her friends. Snow blurred her vision and twigs snapped against her face when she leaned too far to one side, but, thankfully, everyone arrived safely at the bottom.

Meanwhile, Balto had shaken off the bump to his head and rejoined the fight. When Nave stood on two feet again, preparing to cause another big quake, he ran in and pulled a hind paw out from under the bear. The method was successful in tripping him, but what wasn't accounted for was the resulting shockwave and Balto winding up nose-to-nose with the beast and then was promptly flipped underneath a gigantic paw that started crushing him into the snow.

The other three fighters shakily regained their feet and were surprised to see Jenna leaping from among the trees as the bear raised a second paw to take off Balto's head. She caught the pad between her teeth and swung her feet into Nave's face. He growled at her annoyance and threw her toward Cloud and the two Keyblade wielders. She was back on her feet in a second and before any of them could stop her, she jumped back in and chomped down on the bear's snout.

Nave reared up in surprise and started to fall backward from the weight added to his face. He moved a foot back to steady himself, narrowly missing their trapped friends.

"Wack! Hurry up!" Donald directed to Axel who was attempting to carefully cut through the stump holding their friends captive.

"We'd be done by now if you'd listen to me and pull the way I told you to!" Axel yelled.

"Why don't you just light it on fire?" Donald demanded.

"Do you want me to bake your friends?"

Donald didn't have to answer as Nave succeeded in batting Jenna off his muzzle and she crashed into the stump, shooting Boris out one end and disentangling Goofy from the other. Her yelp of pain drew those she had just helped to her side.

"Are you alright?" Axel asked her.

"Balto!" Boris shouted.

Nave had gone after the half-breed again who had backed himself into some brush and only had the option to duck to the side at the last minute, not getting him much space. Fortunately, Sora had gained ground and jumped up behind Nave, bringing his Keyblade down hard on the bear's back. Nave swung out and swatted the Keyblade Master from the air and into Balto, sending them both tumbling down the hill Fae had descended earlier. They ended up on a frozen lake at the bottom with Nave coming down the hill after them.

When he reached the frozen water, Nave only stood and looked at them for a second. His vision was beginning to fuzz and he was seeing four brown dogs. Which one was Sora?

He climbed up on his hind paws again and the ice cracked between the boys, both of them backing away as he took a step forward. A crevice formed down the lake, right between Balto's feet. Then everything took a turn for the worse. One of Nave's paws went through the ice and drug the rest of his body into the frigid waters with it. The ice spidered out from the hole, separating the two boys and encircling Balto. His weight on one side offset it and it overturned, taking Balto into the lake along with it.

By then everyone else had joined them on the ice. Jenna and Boris were panicking while the otherworlders were trying to figure out how to save him. They couldn't melt the ice; it was already breaking and that would put everyone else in danger. The only option would be—

"Geronimo!" Muk shouted and Luk imitated a horn as they cannonballed through the ice.

Jenna ran to the hole, calling their names. Boris was chewing his feathered fingers. "They cannot svim!" he confessed.

"What? Polar bears who can't swim?"

"You guys can swim, right?" Violet demanded of Sora and Riku. They gave her half-hearted nods in response since they really weren't sure if they would be successful in their current forms.

Luckily for them, Jenna distracted her before she gave them the order to jump in after their friends. The female Husky was pawing the snow off the ice looking for Balto and had found him taking in what little air had bubbled up to the solid surface.

"He's drowning!" Then just as quickly as he was spotted, he was gone. "No!"

Boris had dunked his head through the opening the polar bears had made, searching for any sign of his friends. There was none. He came back up and sneezed, shooting icicles off his face and showering the others in the process.

"I don't see them," he announced.

"Where are they?" Jenna wondered.

All was silent and then a rumbling beneath the surface had those with weapons drawing them. The rumbling continued and then something broke through closer to the shore. Muk and Luk crawled through, a soaked Balto in tow.

"Muk! Luk!" many cried.

"Way to go!" Sora yelled and they surged forward to congratulate the bears.

That is, until they saw that Luk was attempting to get Balto to breathe again. Boris hadn't noticed yet. One of his toes had caught on a crack and he tripped, sliding across the lake faster than anyone, and slammed into Muk who fell on top of the wolf-dog. Balto coughed water several feet.

Boris started patting Balto on the face to revive him, begging, "Come to life. Come to life. Breathe! Come on!"

Muk babbled, "Oh, is he gonna be okay? Is he gonna be okay? 'Cause he's not breathing. He doesn't look very well. Stop hitting him, Uncle Boris. Stop hitting him."

Balto blinked slowly and licked his chops while Boris hugged his head to his breast and said, "Oh, Balto, I was so scared. I got people bumps."

Balto pulled away and crawled down from the log Luk had laid him over and huddled on the ground. Shivering and coughing, he admitted, "Boris…I know—I know you think this trip is crazy, but…I'm glad you came."

"Who else should you bring on a vild goose chase but a goose, huh?" Boris joked.

"Yeah, and we've got two," chuckled Goofy.

Jenna shyly approached Balto asking, "Are you okay?" at the same time as he asked, "Are you okay, Jenn—?"

"I'm fine," she replied, draping herself over the shivering wolf-dog to warm him. "Look, a message came through…"

Axel sat beside Fae and examined her face. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"That's a silly question to ask. Of course I am."

"Yeah? What caught you across the face? You're bleeding."

"I am?" She rubbed a paw at her cheek. "Probably a twig. It doesn't hurt."

"Here, let me get it."

He leaned over then and ran his pink tongue over the shallow cut. Fae sucked in a breath of surprise as he cleaned the wound and then dried it with the side of his face. A guttural growling caused the pyro to smirk and he and Fae looked over at Riku, his fur on his neck bristled to twice its size.

"Got something to say, Keyblader?" the Husky questioned.

Riku's frown deepened but he didn't say anything and his growling died off as he looked away.

"I _hate_ bears!" they heard Boris yell and found him dripping wet from Muk and Luk shaking dry.

"You guys ought to learn how to swim one day," suggested Balto. "You'd be very good at it."

Luk whimpered something to Muk.

"Yes, of course we were," Muk replied. "We were in the water. We were moving. We got wet, didn't we? We—" He paused in realization and covered his mouth. "Luk, we were _swimming_!"

A round of laughter followed that revelation, but was ended by a blinding column of light burst through the opening that Nave had fell through. Once the sharp brightness faded, all that was left in its wake was a white speck floating from the sky. As it grew closer, the group could see that it was a piece of paper with writing on it and it was about to fall in the water. Fae got an idea.

"Kairi!"

She caught the squirrel's attention and knelt so that she could climb on the fox's back. Once the Princess was aboard, she ran out onto the shattered ice, jumping gaps until she neared the hole. When she was about to run right in, she leapt into the air as high as she could and Kairi used her head to spring the rest of the way to grab the paper. While Fae landed on the ice and skittered without traction into the snow bank on the shore, Kairi was within reach of a tree branch and could safely climb onto the ground.

The cheers that resulted from the act was interrupted by Jenna letting out a pained cry and falling to the ground when she tried to meet them and examine the paper.

"Clumsy…" she scolded herself.

"No, you're not. You're hurt," Balto corrected.

"No, I'm fine," she insisted and pushed herself to her feet once more, only to fall back down after another step. "Oh, maybe I'm not so fine. You should all go ahead without me."

"Jenna—" Balto objected.

"No, no, I'll be slowing everyone down. And Rosy can't hold out much longer.

Balto's brow furrowed in thought and then he caught sight of a loose branch several feet away from them. An idea formed and he dragged it over. "Muk, you and Luck carry Jenna back to town on this."

"And this time, don't take time out for a svim," Boris laughed at his own joke.

"You can make sure of that, Boris. You're gonna lead them home." Boris gave him a look of shock. "Just follow my marks."

"That means we can turn back now, too," Axel said, scratching behind one ear. "We got what we came for."

"No!" Fae gasped. "Rosy isn't safe yet!"

"Balto's going on. She'll be alright," he assured her.

"I said I would help him," Fae reminded them. "We all did."

"Not all of us are fit for this."

It was true. After the near misses during the last fight, some of them would be better off heading back. But Fae wasn't going to back down. It didn't feel right.

"It's my duty to keep the balance of light and dark. The majority of light is stored in the hearts of children. If I let all those kids die, the balance will be upset."

Sora nodded as if he concurred with her. "I'm alright. I'll go on with you," he said. Riku nodded that he was with the Keyblade Master as well. "Cloud, you better—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Violet butted in. "He better take me back. I'm tired of being a weasel anyway. Come on, Kairi. He's gonna tell you the same thing."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Cloud told their leaders.

"Thanks," said Sora. "Oh, and Kairi?" She turned back to him. "Good job on that fire spell." Giggling, she scampered along behind Violet and Sora turned to Donald and Goofy next. "I think you guys should go back, too—to protect them."

"And Axel," Riku added. The Husky glared dangerously at him, but the wolf pretended not to notice and reasoned, "A smaller group'll attract less attention and we don't know if Nave will come back."

That, of course, was a lie. If Riku knew anything about villains (and he did) it was that they didn't attack twice in the same territory when they had already lost one fight. And if Nave was just playing a game with them, he wouldn't try to defeat them so soon. For some reason, though, having Axel near Fae just rubbed him the wrong way.

Sora gave Riku a speculative look, but agreed nonetheless. "That's a good idea. Better to be safe than sorry."

Axel sighed since he couldn't defy his best friend's other half. "Fine." He resisted the urge to bear his teeth at the grey wolf as he padded after the other part of their team.

"Right!" Boris called everyone to attention. "All you balls of fluff! Let's move!" The four canines once again started their rescue mission, vanishing into the white landscape as the goose's orders faded behind them. "Back, two, three, four! Back, two, three, four!"

* * *

_Nome. Stop. Cannot send more antitoxin. Stop. Weather too severe. Stop. Lost sled team—only hope. Stop. Our prayers are with them. Anchorage. Stop.

* * *

_

Kateracks: Whew! Finally! Well, I guess all that's left to say now is…

Arait: Please Review!

Laters!

~K&A


	19. Chapter 19

Kateracks: It's been entirely too long, I know. I have been moving, going to weddings, and trying to graduate since my last update, though, so I have been busy. Still…Sorry. :(

Arait: It's OK. I didn't really do anything this chapter except kind of help in advancing an essential part of the plot.

Kateracks: Oh well. Although I'm betting that most, if not all of our readers have moved on to bigger and better things, we're still determined to finish this monstrosity we've created. That being said, let's get on with the next chapter.

Disclaimer: (Counting graduation money) Sadly…no. I can't own it.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion. We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

_Claw, bite, kick, retreat. Light attack, bound back in, claw and bite some more, take a breather. _

Perched atop the head of a wolf-like Heartless, Violet took a break from coaching herself while her opponent spun in circles searching for her. She had anticipated that fighting the sudden influx of dark beings would serve as a good pastime, but even as a weasel the lowly Heartless weren't posing much of a challenge for her.

"Where did all these nuisances come from anyway?" she asked of her partners.

"They're probably Nave's minions," Axel responded from where he was lounging at the edge of the battlefield.

"They follow the strongest beings of darkness," Kairi added from the safety of a tree branch.

"But why did they only show up now?" Violet asked, bouncing as the wolf Heartless discovered her location and snapped its jaws upward, trying unsuccessfully to catch her.

"Nave must have been keeping them back," Cloud surmised from the sidelines where he was serving as a referee of sorts and taking care of any strays. "A trail of Heartless would have led us right to him. Where would the game have been in that?"

"Now they're just out to destroy the light," Donald said, then scurried out of the way as Goofy lowered his antlered head and bowled his way through a crowd of lynx and rabbit Heartless.

Axel looked up from his resting place and took a half-hearted tally of the remaining enemies. "You're thinning them out, though."

"These Heartless are annoying at best. We've got far more troublesome things to worry about," said Violet, and with that, kicked off of the Heartless's head, stunning it enough that when she landed, another light ball finished it off. "Axel, tag me out. I'm gonna take another look at that riddle."

Axel lazily climbed to all fours and tapped Violet's outstretched paw with his nose. He plodded out into the fray and ignited a fair number of enemies with a flick of his tail. Then he scratched behind an ear as he watched Violet scamper up the tree to Kairi.

"Read it again," he said once she had reached the designated branch.

Taking turns reading, the two girls revealed Nave's next clue:

"_What new adventures await you  
__In the land of hidden pine trails and waterfalls?  
__Where the wolf cries to the blue corn moon  
__And savages sing fierce war calls?_

_To find me, the endless hoop you must mend  
__Right the wrong and clear the darkness' veil  
__Walk the footsteps of a stranger around the river bend  
__And ask the Ancient of Willows for a tale."_

"Whatever that means," Axel huffed. "Has anyone ever seen a blue corn moon?"

"I thought when people mentioned a 'blue moon' that meant that something never happened," muttered Kairi.

"Gawrsh, maybe the moon makes the corn turn blue?" suggested Goofy.

"Aw phooey," Donald scoffed.

"What do you think, Violet?" Kairi asked, but received no response. Violet was staring off through the trees toward the mountains. "Violet?"

"Look out!" shouted Donald, but it was too late. An owl Heartless scooped the distracted Violet into its talons and carried her off.

Fortunately, it didn't get far. While Violet bit and clawed at the feet, trying to get an angle where she could shoot it with light, Donald cast an Aero spell. With the air currents moving in the opposite direction, the owl had no choice but to turn back around where it was hailed with magic spells until a fireball took its wing off, causing it to drop Violet, pinwheel into a tree, and explode into a puff of black smoke.

Its victim landed safely on a branch not far from where she was taken and her companions met her when she climbed to the ground.

"A-hyuck. That was a close one," chuckled Goofy.

"Nothing to be concerned about." Violet shrugged, observed the increasing amount of snowflakes drifting down around them, and then gazed back toward the mountains.

"But your friends are worth being concerned about," Cloud remarked.

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure they'll be fine," Kairi assured them all.

"I'm not worried," declared Violet and then paused thoughtfully before wondering, "...Should I be…?"

* * *

The chill of the ice crystals collecting in her eyelashes and the harsh sting of the frigid air as it took her breath away was a wake-up call for Fae. She may have gotten herself in over her head. But if that wasn't enough, there were the gusts of wind that nearly flipped her off her feet, the unpredictable patches of ice, and the snow drifts, some of which were taller than she was. Never had she wanted to burrow underground and wait for the storm to pass, but she would much rather have been doing that right now while the boys continued on, even if she was the one who insisted they kept going. Sora and Riku were much better built for the job that she was anyway.

They had been pushing through a blizzard since the previous evening and it was becoming increasingly worse the closer they came to finding the lost sled team. Luckily, Balto had stuck to using his extraordinary sense of smell and marking of tree trunks so they, too, wouldn't get lost on the way back. Fae was hoping they didn't just freeze to death.

This became apparent when they came to one of those drifts, though this one was unexpected since it couldn't be seen. Balto discovered it as he slid down an icy hill and sank up to his chest in slush. With a bit of effort, he was able to paw his way through it and then paused, sniffing the wildly changing wind while Sora and Riku followed suite after him. On the other hand, beside where Balto had come down was a rock and Fae decided to slide down onto this, hoping to bypass the drift. Unfortunately, she couldn't jump off far enough and instead found herself buried.

There was momentary panic within her as the thought of the others not noticing her disappearance crossed her mind. But then there was scuffling above her and a pair of big, grey paws dug her head free and a set of strong jaws gripped the scruff of her neck, hauling her up out of the frozen prison. Riku carried her along like a pup as he hurried to catch up to Sora and Balto, the latter just now catching a whiff of a familiar scent.

"Steele…" they barely heard him say and then they trotted several more yards to the edge of an extremely steep portion of the mountain.

Down below was the pale glow of a lantern which used to be attached to a medicine crate but was currently covered in white and surrounded by mounds of snow. Balto smiled in relief and took a step over the edge intent on picking his way down, only to discover that this hill was also a slide of sheer ice. Gaining control of his feet, he was able to ski down the mountainside and arrive safely at the bottom much to the surprise of the mounds—er, dogs.

"Is that…?" Nikki gaped.

"Balto!" Star cried in shock.

Kaltag was amazed at his presence. "Balto, how did you find us?"

Meanwhile, back at the top of the incline, Riku set Fae down and nudged her over the edge of the slope before he and Sora did likewise. They reached the bottom in time her hear Balto query, "Is anyone hurt?" and Steele's clipped response, "Everyone—is—fine."

"Yeah," Star went on to explain. "But our musher hit his head and he…didn't get up."

"And he's not movin'," Kaltag further described their masters condition and Star nudged the man's limp arm to prove their point.

Balto nodded his decision to himself and took the lead dog harness in his mouth. "Alright, follow me. I can lead you home."

A heavy paw came down on the back of the harness, jerking Balto's leadership to an abrupt halt. Steele growled, "We—don't—need—_your_—help."

"M-Maybe we should listen to him…" Star recommended, but was silenced by a vicious snarl from Steele that had him covering his head in fear.

Nikki was still curious, though, evidenced by when he asked the wolf-dog, "Well, how would youz get us home, then?"

"Well, I marked the trail," Balto revealed. "Like this…"

Picking a dying young tree, he showed them how he had scratched the bark away into an easily discernable mark. The other dogs chuckled and made sayings of agreement, embarrassed that they hadn't thought of such a simple, yet effective method. Before they could approve the idea of Balto guiding them back, however, Steele jumped onto the weak, bowed trunk and knocked it over, hiding the mark from view. busted

"_I'll_ get us home. _I'm_ the lead dog. _I'm_—in—charge!" he reminded them fiercely.

Balto was at a loss. Shaking his head at Steele's unreasonableness, he requested, "Well, then let me take back the medicine. They're getting sicker."

His approach of the object came to a sudden stop when Steele leapt in front of it, teeth bared. "Touch that box," he warned. "And I'll _tear_ you apart."

"Two bones says Steele takes him," Nikki wagered.

Fae gave him a look of reproach, but despite that Kaltag anted up. "Ha! You're on!"

"Don't encourage him!" Fae scolded and although the dogs gave her sheepish smiles, that didn't stop them all from gathering into a circle around the impending brawl.

Balto didn't back down. "Steele, I'm not leaving without that medicine."

He took a couple steps around Steele, but then the Husky charged him, angry paws sending him rolling across the unforgiving, frost-hardened ground.

"Hey, this is gonna be _good_," Nikki murmured to the dogs around him, trying to keep his voice down so Fae wouldn't hear.

Still she did and huffed to the two Keyblade Wielders beside her, "I can't _believe_ this!"

Balto shook off the bump and stood up, muttering, "Since…Since when do you need a pedigree to help someone?"

He moved toward the crate again and Steele jumped into his path a once more.

"Steele," Balto pleaded. "Let me help you."

The purebred didn't answer, only sneered down at the half-breed with crazy eyes.

"Look at his eyes. Look at 'em, man," Kaltag urged and the other canines chuckled right along with him.

Balto attempted to sidestep Steele, but the Husky wouldn't stand for that. Growling angrily, he whipped around, head-butted Balto in the ribs, and returned the wolf-dog to the ground.

"Ooh, he'll feel that tomorrow!" Kaltag jeered.

"I think he is feeling it now," Nikki observed.

"Ouch!" Kaltag agreed.

But Balto wasn't down for the count yet. He shakily gained his feet and approached the antitoxin for the second time, obstinately stating, "I don't want to fight."

Steele, unfortunately, still did and was rapidly growing tired of this battle that he was not easily winning. So this time when the half-breed neared him, the purebred bit down onto the scruff of his neck and tossed him a good several feet from the package.

"Whoa!" Kaltag cried. "That can't be legal!"

Fae nudged the wolf beside her, anxiety creeping into her voice as she asked, "Riku, can't you do something?"

"It's his fight," Riku replied. "No one can finish it for him. He probably doesn't _want_ our help."

Balto stepped toward the package again, but this time Steele tauntingly let him get too close. As the Husky sprang in to block Balto's path, he bumped into the sled and, being on uneven ground as it was, it tipped over, the glass bottles of antitoxin within dangerously knocking into each other.

"Hey, that stuff is fragile, there!" Nikki reminded them all.

"What's with Steele?" Star questioned, his mood toward the conflict now taking a turn. "All Balto wants to do is help!"

"Still think this was a good idea?" Fae angrily demanded of the dogs. "This isn't just between them anymore! Steele's endangering the lives of those children!"

Not just the children's lives. This time when Balto got to his feet, Steele attacked from behind. Latching onto a hind paw of his unsuspecting opponent, Steele put all of his hatred for the wolf-dog into a swing that brought Balto's head smashing into contact with a boulder at the edge of the battlefield.

All was still. Balto lay limp in the powdery, white landscape and did not make another attempt to get back up. The other dogs stared in stunned silence. Only Steele made a sound, that of satisfied laughter at what he had done. This time Fae didn't have to speak her feelings about the situation. While she went to tend to their friend, Sora and Riku stepped in front of the purebred and lowered themselves into positions fit for lunging, growling warnings at the Husky. They could both feel a small shadow coming over Steele's jealous heart.

But they didn't have to turn to combat. The other dogs gasped and upon returning their attention to Balto, they were amazed to see him determinedly staggering to his feet. Steele snarled in rage and resolved to finish the wolf-dog off once and for all. Eyes only focused on his target, Steele darted around the two Keybladers standing in his way and snapped his jaws onto whatever part of Balto he could reach, intent on hurling the half-breed over where the mountainside suddenly gave way to a steep cliff.

Balto, luckily, was ready for Steele to repeat his previous tactic and planted his feet. Steele did likewise and they began a sort of tug-o-war with what Steel had grabbed onto—Jenna's bandana.

Something Steele hadn't factored into his plan, though, was that the bandana was made of a slick, silky material. The harder he pulled, the looser the knot holding it onto Balto became until, finally, it came untied altogether. The force Steele had built up behind his last jerk threw him backward and carried him over the edge where he crashed into boulders and young saplings as he rolled down the cliff face to the bottom.

Balto waited until Steele hit the bottom and didn't move before he turned back to the spectators. Still no one said anything, but a silent command went out amongst the sled dogs to get ready to depart. Balto had just defeated their alpha male, shooting him up to the top of the ranks. So they all pulled their harnesses on, righted the toboggan, and dragged the musher into the cargo bed in preparation to leave. Balto made sure the musher's limbs were all tucked safely into the basket before he moved to the front of the group, prepared to show them the way home. It was there that a surprised awaited him.

Star held up the lead dog harness for Balto to take his place. With an encouraging nod from his three friends and Star, the wolf-dog stepped into the harness, putting him into the position where he always wanted to belong. Now that that dream was satisfied, it was time to fulfill another.

* * *

Steele was not defeated, though no one yet knew it. The hate and jealousy in his heart had fueled him enough to climb back up the cliff side. Seeing his crew running back up the slope he had lost them down earlier—with _Balto_ in the lead no less!—helped him begin plotting a way to get revenge. Catching sight of the sapling his rival had used in his trail marking demonstration caused everything to click into place.

He smirked. "Go ahead, Wolf-dog. You'll never get home! I'll make sure of _that_!"

Taking an alternate route up the mountain to get ahead of the team, Steele picked a spot in Balto's markings where there was a fork in the path.

"I'll show 'em," he vowed to himself while he examined which trees to taint with a mark of his own. "I'll move this way! …I'll move here!" he plotted as he scraped bark away from trunk after trunk, thoroughly obscuring the real path back to Nome as he weaved back and forth.

"Woops, wrong way!" he mocked the team he knew was not far behind him and then with a dark, complacent laugh, he started following the trail that he remembered would take him home.

* * *

By the time Balto had navigated the team to the fork in the trail, Steele's paw prints had been hidden by freshly fallen snow. Balto studied all of the trees in search of the perfect one to give him a clue as to the right direction, but it was useless. They all looked the same.

"Do you remember?" Fae asked Sora and Riku.

"I think it was this way," he muttered to her, indicating the right.

"I thought we came from that way," Sora whispered, gesturing the opposite direction as discreetly as he could so as not to make the dogs anxious.

"I couldn't really see anything," Fae said and directed their attention to a fallen tree between the two paths. "That's all I remember."

Star asked the inevitable question. "Which way, Balto? Which way? Which way?"

"Uh…this way," Balto guessed and urged the group down the left path, though where to go from there he was unsure.

A couple hours later revealed that, not only had the storm gotten worse, but the combination of routes that they had just taken had circled them around to the exact same fork in the trail. Balto stopped short at the view of the painfully familiar surroundings, causing a pile-up of sled dogs who also stopped short to avoid running into him. Neither way looked any more promising this time around than it had the last time.

Kaltag's head popped up amongst the entanglement of tails, paws, and thick fur coats and he scowled at their new leader, demanding, "Balto, why are you taking us in circles?"

"I'm not!" Balto insisted, but then realized that that wasn't entirely true. "I mean…I dunno." Realization of the real problem behind their present dilemma dawned on him then. "…It's Steele…"

Sora, Riku, and Fae passed him sympathetic looks. They weren't much help either at this moment. Since they weren't as experienced at tracking yet, Balto had been in charge of that while the other three had their responsibility to fight Heartless that had started appearing without any warning along the way. (Fortunately, they had been keeping away since the blizzard started.) Now that Balto had spread their scent in all directions, it was all the more difficult to tell where to go. The main problem, however, was that the half-breed was currently too busy trying to fit in as a dog to realize which was the accurate solution to their predicament.

The other dogs were not happy with this. Nikki muttered to those behind him, "Maybe we were better off with _him_ then."

"No!" Balto barked. "Come on! Mush!"

Then, in another attempt to prove himself, he made a rash decision and chose a random direction in which to start running, dragging the team along behind. He blindly dodged trees, took turns that were far too sharp, and jumped over a log that was much too big. The toboggan bounced over uneven areas in the path and rocked from side to side, viciously jostling the precious objects riding in it.

"Balto!" Star hollered. "Slow down! Wai—!" A low-hanging tree branch broke off in his mouth, silencing his plea.

"You need to stop for a second!" Sora cried from one side.

"I-I can't keep up!" Fae panted on his other side, her shorter legs working twice as hard as the other canines.

Balto was deaf to all of this. He had to gain the dogs' complete acceptance! He had to get the them home! But how could he do that when all the trees looked exactly the same?

"Hey! You're going too fast!" Nikki yelled in case Balto wasn't getting the idea.

He wasn't. He didn't stop, nor did he slow down even a little. Not until, that is, they came up on a cliff and by then it was too late. Fae cried out in alarm when her feet only met air and she tumbled down a steep incline. She was almost flattened by the musher rolling out of the cargo bed as it also went sliding down the slope sideways. At the last moment, she reached out and bit onto the hood of the musher's parka and drug him to a stop before he rolled to his death.

The team yelped and howled in panic as their load pulled them toward their demise where the slant dropped completely off the edge of the mountain. Balto dug his paws into the snow as deep as he could as the luge shot past him while Sora and Riku grabbed onto either side of his harness, also planting their feet. Together they, along with the heel dogs, put on the brakes just short of the plummet. The last heel dog actually had to be helped partway back up while a rock aided in preventing the cargo from going over.

But they couldn't breathe a sigh of relief yet for just as soon as everyone was beginning to calm, the weight of the antitoxin caused the its transport to start tipping over the top of the rock that had ceased its descent. The ropes tying the box down started snapping under the weight of the bottles and the force of gravity.

Balto gasped and before Sora or Riku knew what he was doing, he had shrugged out of his harness and leapt down the mountainside to catch the crate. He grasped a mouthful of rope and the lamp as well as the small vials inside shook from the sudden stop. No one heard the small crack from the surface beneath Balto's feet, even him since all he could hear was his heart pumping in his eardrums.

"Alright!" Star hollered. "Good catch, Balto!"

"Way to go!" Sora cheered.

But as Balto smiled his relief around the lashings and pulled back on the package, the ice shelf underneath him broke off and crumbled. Both the medicine and its rescuer hurtled over the edge of the cliff in a giant snowball leaving his friends and the team screaming far above them.

* * *

Boris, Donald, Muk, and Luk all scaled the sturdy pyramid of hefty logs outside of the boiler room and peered through the window, hoping to hear the latest news. This night's topic, though, consisted of Jenna telling the tale of Balto's journey to the local dogs, Violet at her side, tucked under the blanket given to the wounded female.

A rust-colored canine spoke, "I don't get it. How could Balto hope to find Steele and his team? They were off the trail."

"Well, he's…he's tracking them," Jenna admitted.

"That _mutt_?" a spotted dog scoffed. "Tracking a championship team? In a _blizzard_?"

He burst into laughter and the rest of the gathering joined him. Jenna and Violet glared at them and it was at that moment that the door swung open, letting in a burst of cold air and a snowflake-encrusted figure.

"Balto?" Jenna questioned hopefully. But alas, it was not; for as the snow melted before the heat of the raging fire within the establishment, black fur showed up along with the white.

"Steele!" the dogs gaped in surprise and then began pelting him with further exclamations.

"You're alive!"

"You're back!"

"Where ya been? Are ya okay?" the orange-furred dog asked, rolling a bone to the Husky's feet which was then attacked and gnawed ravenously.

In shock, the burly dog in charge stuttered, "Steele, wh-where are the others?"

Steele paused in his devouring of the bone and prepared to deliver the fake story he had had time to conjure up on the long trip home.

"Well, one by one they fell—frozen—barely alive," he began dramatically and shook the icicles from his coat. They impaled the wood around his listeners, drastically accenting the dogs' supposed state and drawing his audience into the ensuing falsity. "I put four onto the sled, three more on my _back_…!"

There were murmurs of "hero" as he turned away from them, taking a moment to count on his paw how many of his crew was left to account for. That was all of them. Reassured, he continued his lie.

"Then I…I walked. And I _walked_. But…But it was too late. They were—"

His legs conveniently "gave out" then so he didn't have to think of anymore extravagant phrases for his explanation and so he could hide the fact that he was trying not to laugh. _Suckers._

"What about the _medicine_?" the head dog questioned.

Violet snorted condescendingly. This was the worst story she had ever heard. She couldn't believe they were buying it. Steele glowered at her, telling her to stay out of his affairs before he went on with his recounting.

"Well, I-I went on, d-dragging the medicine alone—all alone." He was looking for sympathy, but when he didn't get the response he wanted, he decided to spread some dirt on someone's good name while he was at it. "And-And then suddenly, that wolf-dog appeared—Balto. He-he demanded I let _him_ take the medicine!" At that moment, he looked directly into Jenna's speculative gaze and said, "You know, he…he just wanted to be a hero in your eyes."

Violet scoffed a second time and rolled over to hide her obviously disgusted face when she muttered, "Oh man…!" Steele had a thing or two coming his way and she couldn't wait to see how it happened.

Steele ignored her and continued to string out the lies with great flourish. "And he grabbed the crate…! But he couldn't _handle_ it! He couldn't see the patch of ice—the-the snow, the wind…and the log…and the cliff! He just didn't have a ch—" He laid it on thick here, complete with sobbing as he told Jenna, "I'm sorr—"

Violet stared up at Jenna with a look that clearly read, _You're not actually believing any of this nonsense, are you?_

Steele threw in a sniffle for good measure, but he wasn't done yet. "And then…" He tugged an orange wad from underneath his collar and it unraveled into a familiar object all could recognize.

"My bandana…" Jenna whispered.

Carefully, Steele ended with, "He made me promise to…take care of you, Jenna."

Violet stared up at Jenna once more, this time with an expression of bewilderment in addition to her look of inquiry. She knew Steele had to be lying. But then, how did he get the bandana from Balto? She was sure it couldn't have happened the way Steele said—It sounded completely unlike Balto! But even if it wasn't all true, part of it could have been and, if so, Steele must have done something to their friend to obtain the keepsake. But _what_?

Jenna frowned down at the weasel and then turned despondently back to the cloth, the emotions inside her visibly at war with themselves. But her next reaction was a hardening of her gaze and she glared at Steele.

"You're lying," she stated bluntly and made sure the rest of the audience understood. "Steele's lying! Balto's alive. And he's coming home."

That conclusion formed, she shrugged out of the blanket, took her bandana in her mouth, and limped outside. With one final scowl at Steele, Violet hurried after her, calling her name. The reprimanded Husky glanced around to see if anyone else looked convinced by her outburst.

Just to be sure they weren't, he shook his head regretfully and said, "Well, you know…She just needs a little time."

* * *

The telegraph operator of Nome leaned back in his seat and rubbed his tired eyes. His bulldog nuzzled up against his leg and he stroked the furry head, each feeling the gloominess of the other. The news of Steele's return without the rest of the team and the antitoxin had spread fast and everyone was losing faith at a similar rate, including the ever chipper communications specialist. There was still no news on his end regarding the chances of receiving another shipment in time to save the children.

Sighing, he hauled himself to his feet and went out into the frigid evening air. He checked the horizon just like he always did, but this would be the last time. His faint optimism was almost nonexistent now as the direction the team should come from still remained vacant. Despair washed over him and he turned down the flame of the lantern to a feeble glow.

Across the street and down a few buildings, Rosy's mother was also staring out the hospital window, praying to see their saviors returning home. What she saw instead, was the beacon of hope all but go out completely. She gasped and covered her mouth and when her husband came over to investigate, she buried her weeping face into his strong chest. They were going to lose their only daughter and there was nothing they could do.

The telegraph operator's action caused a chain and one by one the townhouses that had been keeping their lights on all night to guide the team back started to go dark. Eventually, the whole town of Nome was nothing but a dark cluster of depressed structures in a poorly timed blizzard. But among its citizens, there were, in fact, a few that were still desperately clinging to their faith in the coming rescuers.

Jenna was taking the matter of guiding the team (and her beloved) back into her own paws. She enlisted the help of Violet to create her own beacon and, when she discovered what the undertaking would be, the weasel procured the help of Goofy and his large rack.

Together the three of them hiked to the top of the tallest hill near Nome where there was a rock with a flat surface. There Jenna instructed Goofy to carefully remove a bunch of empty, colored bottles from his antlers. Then she positioned them the same way she remembered Balto showing her that night below the boiler room when she learned the terrible news about Rosy's illness. A lantern she, herself, had toted along was set before the bottles and with a few minor adjustments, the rock face became alight with an illusion of waving greens, blues, pinks, and purples. And it's there that Jenna sat watching "The Northern Lights", as she called them, for several hours even after Violet and Goofy decided to retire for the evening.

* * *

On the other side of the mountains, at the base of a cliff, a heap of snowflakes quivered. Though this heap of snowflakes looked just like any other, it soon became evident that there was something underneath this mass as something began poking its way out of the top. This "something" was soon revealed to be a canine muzzle and it took in a breath of fresh air before it sank back beneath the slush and forced its way back through, this time accompanied by a head—that of a familiar wolf-dog.

Using his last bit of strength, Balto pushed with all four legs until his chest was free and he was able to step out of the frozen deathtrap. No sooner had he done so then his limbs gave way and he flopped down in exhaustion and misery. He had lost his way home _and_ the medicine, the last hope of the children of Nome.

"Rosy…" he whispered and covered his eyes with his paws in shame.

And so he laid there for some time, listening to the wind whistle around him and letting the ice particles carried by it to sting his hide. He was a failure, a despised half-breed, the shunned offspring of an unspoken forbidden alliance. He'd never be able to redeem himself now.

It was while he was thinking these thoughts that a figure drew near to him, almost silent as if it, too, was born along on the wind. "Almost" being the key word. Balto's keen ears picked up on the soft crunching of the powder beneath a set of skilled hunter feet. He jerked his head to the side in order to face the intruder and was met with the sight of a large wolf—pure white in color unlike Riku who was a grey-white. Balto could barely make the stranger out amidst the intense storm save for the golden eyes.

It was as he was studying these eyes and how they were colored much like his own that the other canine tilted its head back and let out a short howl. When it was finished, it looked at Balto, expecting him to return the gesture. It was confused when he instead turned his head away and stayed silent. With one last contemplative look at the half-breed, the wolf disappeared into the gale, leaving Balto to continue wallowing in his disgrace.

But while Balto lay there wondering why the wolf hadn't attacked him, his eyes strayed uphill to where there was a weak radiance. Upon further inspection, it was revealed to be the sled's lantern and still tied underneath it was the medicine crate, still safe and sound. His eyes then wandered up the side of the cliff and marveled at how far he and the box had fallen and yet both had survived. That had to attribute something to him, didn't it?

Suddenly, Balto's ears began to ring with the parting words Boris had shared with him before the goose had departed to take Jenna home: _Let me tell you something, Balto. A _dog_ cannot make this journey alone. But maybe a _wolf _can…_

Could Boris be right? Could it really take the half of him that he chose to hide in order to save Rosy? Up until this point, he had been relying on his dog heritage rather than the wolf in his blood. Could he actually need to tap into that side of himself now?

Looking back to where one of his kin had just been standing, Balto spied the footprints left behind. Could he really be one of them? Lifting a paw, he laid it overtop of the indentation already there and then looked for a difference. There was none. Both paw prints were the same shape and the same size.

Resolve now founded, Balto stood to all four feet and with all the energy left in him, he raised his face to the sky and howled. He was going to finish what he had started out for. He owed it to Rosy. He owed it to himself. But most of all, he owed it to all those who had believed in him.

In response to the summon, the Great White Wolf appeared a second time though the blank haze. Balto was ready to embrace the other side of his family and the alpha dog was willing to welcome him in. Advancing closer, the great being seated itself before the half-breed and rose its voice up in an howl of acceptance. And Balto did not stop until he felt strength flood back into his limbs and he was ready to take on his task in an entirely different light.

* * *

Far above Balto at the top of the cliff, the dogs were yet again huddling in their defeat, trying to keep warm. A couple yards away from them, two warriors and a Maiden were doing the same and discussing the matter at hand, Riku and Sora shielding Fae from the frigid wind.

The fox sniffled and held back her tears from losing their friend since they'd harden onto her face in seconds from the chill. "We can't just leave them here. Balto wanted to bring them home safely."

"I doubt they'll let us lead them. They trust us even less than Balto," Riku reminded her. "And we can't stay here forever either. There are other people who need our help."

"Well, what do we do then?" asked Fae. "We have to do something."

"I guess we just give them the options," Sora said. "Follow us or—"

The more terrible alternative was cut off by a howl that rose up into the churning air so powerfully that it seemed to echo from all directions.

"Oh great," Nikki huffed. "Things are not bad enough. Now we've got _wolves_."

"_Wolves?_" the other dogs cried in fear and bunched closer to one another.

"What do they think you are then, I wonder?" Fae remarked to the boys.

"Half-breeds like Balto?" Sora suggested.

The howl filled the air once more and Riku told Sora, "I think now's a good time to give them the options. Come on."

Fae, though, took on the job of targeting how close the next potential threat could be. What she found, however, was not what she had predicted. The howl seemed to be originating the loudest from over the edge of the cliff. When she looked that way, that's when she discovered something even more astonishing.

"Oh my goodness!" she laughed ecstatically and then let out a little howl of her own.

Kaltag moved to her side to see what had caused her excitement and then shouted to the others, "Hey! Hey, over here!"

"What? What is it?" Nikki asked.

"What?" Star trotted over to them and beheld the scene also. "What? …_Balto_?"

"And he's got the medicine!" Kaltag pointed out.

"Alright!" Fae cried and leapt into the air in her enthusiasm. She would have performed a backflip if that was the kind of thing foxes did. For sure enough, Balto had the ropes of the box in his strong jaws and he was carefully dragging it back up the jagged cliff side.

"Come on, Balto, youz can make it," cheered Nikki.

He almost swallowed his words right then when one of Balto's hind paws slipped and he and the precious vials nearly went toppling back down. The dogs gasped. But with fierce determination in his eyes, Balto regained his footing and pulled both himself and the package back up.

"That is the most amazing—The most fantastic—!" Kaltag stuttered.

"Yeah!" Nikki agreed anyway.

"That's the most incredible—!" Kaltag went on.

"Yeah!" said Nikki.

"That's the most phenomenal—I never—!"

"That's good!" Star finished for his fellow canine. Kaltag, however, was not impressed and he sat on Star's head to prove it.

"Hey, he's got the feet of a wolf, there!" Nikki commented upon seeing Balto's sure-footed, big paws.

He was so close to the top and the other dogs began babbling encouragement to him.

"Come on, Balto, you can do it," said one.

"Keep trying, baby. Don't look back," Nikki coached.

"Keep pulling. You got it!" Star cried.

"You're almost there! Come on! Pull it up!" another dog said.

As Balto came over the lip of the cliff, his back feet slipped another time, but his front paws were on stable ground and he was able to climb up the rest of the way. Several dogs drug the antitoxin back over to the transport to strap it on while the other congratulated their new leader. Sora grinned at him.

"What do you say we go save Rosy now?"

And so they continued on their journey, taking a roundabout way to get back to a familiar trail. Strength renewed (and finally with trust in their leader), they ran like never before along slick ridges, across wide open spaces, and rocky terrain. At length they came to the fork in the path where Balto had led them astray last time.

Brief doubt flitted throughout the team. Where would they get lost next? But to their amazement, Balto sniffed the air with great purpose and then, a confident smile in place, he took the path to the right.

This way took them further up into the mountains, but they had to go up in order to go down. This had to be the right way. Or the correct general direction at any rate. No one remembered the natural bridge of ice going over a deep ravine that they had to cross this way. And with good reason. Although this was a faster route, it was more perilous.

This became apparent when the path, which seemed perfectly fine when Riku, Sora, and Fae crossed it, began to crack when the whole team progressed onto it. Balto winced when he felt the disturbance beneath his paws. He looked back to assess the situation and found that the middle of the bridge was about to crumble out from underneath them.

"Come on! Mush!" he ordered.

The bridge fell out behind them as they began to run and took the sled with it. The dogs were being drug backwards by the weight and as Riku and Sora turned to bite onto Balto's harness in a strategy that had worked before, the wolf-dog, himself, solved the problem. He grabbed onto a tree root as he slid in reverse and used the momentary pause in descent so that he and a few dogs behind him could reclaim their footing. They all one by one dug their heels in and pulled the load back onto solid ground where they then stopped to catch their breath. Balto beamed pride back at the team and then began walking, tail swishing behind him from leftover adrenaline.

Unfortunately, one of the flicks caught Star across the nose and he let out an enormous sneeze.

"Gesundheit," Balto chuckled.

The problem with this simple act became obvious only moments later when a rumbling behind them signified that something common and treacherous about mountains had just begun. Glancing over his shoulder, Balto would have paled had he not had fur upon seeing the trees behind them being flattened by a tidal wave of snow crashing down the mountain after them. He didn't even have to mush the dogs behind him. They all started running at full speed, but in their current position, they were trapped by rock walls on either side and they wouldn't be able to get out of the path of the avalanche.

Meanwhile, Sora, Riku, and Fae had gone on ahead while the others were resting to dispose of a couple minor Heartless that had surfaced. These hastily vanished upon viewing the chaotic circumstances they had popped in on and the three canines were free to run a distance before the rest of the dogs and search for any possible shelter. There were no options out in plain sight.

The key phrase was "in plain sight". For as Sora ran at a speed that didn't allow time to take in every minute detail, he didn't see the tree root that his foot became lodged under. He flipped end over end and collided with one of the rock walls, causing snow lining it to once again bury Fae who was bringing up the rear. This delay could have been deadly if it hadn't uncovered an obscure hiding place—a small tunnel.

Riku did a swift about-face and commanded Sora, "Tell Balto!"

While Sora shook off the jar to his noggin and ran to accomplish this as Riku performed a repeat of saving Fae from freezing to death. For the second time during the journey, Fae found herself being carried by the scruff of her neck as Riku hauled her to safety, closely followed by Sora, the band of sled dogs, and an avalanche. Riku angled his body to shield the vixen from the white billowing into the tunnel, but it didn't enter very far and the rumbling continued muffled overhead.

Fae had shut her eyes, but now she slowly opened them, allowing them to adjust to the dark underbelly of the mountain, only lit by the small light on the medicine crate. Balto quietly urged the band inward—it wasn't like they could turn back now. After a short distance, the tunnel widened into the room of a cave, mostly made of ice. The lantern cast eerie shadows across the semi-transparent stalagmites and stalactites crowding the space. Some members of the group (Sora and Star being two) were having a bit of fun making faces at each other through the formations until Balto shushed them. The wolf-dog's adrenaline-fueled tail was back to twitching in agitation and it would have caused Star to let out another sneeze if it hadn't been for Nikki plugging his snout. Star smiled, abashed. One crisis averted.

But not for long. As Balto steered them around growths of ice and through shallow puddles, he took them down a small step. It couldn't have been any higher than a couple inches, but in the large cave, the echo sounded as if the sled had fallen several feet. This, of course, was not a good thing around fragile ice formations and this became even more evident as a large stalactite broke off from the ceiling and impaled its way through the toboggan's handrail.

Fae could only sigh as they all guessed what would come next. She was becoming far too tired to outrun all these dangers and be concerned at the same time. So she got a head start on the threat as the spikes came crashing down. The rest of the group followed her line of thinking, but even that wasn't enough to avoid catastrophe. The floor was also covered in ice which slowed them down significantly and because of the lack of control no one could protect the cargo.

One ice spear struck the ground too close for comfort. In fact, it rocked the luge and the already-worn antitoxin container cracked open. The collision caused the sled to skate sideways and hit a rock and then slide the opposite direction, a vial of liquid falling out and shattering during the process. Balto and Fae both reacted to this the quickest.

Having fallen behind despite her lead on the imminent jeopardy, Fae was even with the container and clumsily made her way over to it. She and Balto were both having trouble with getting any traction to propel them the right direction. Balto improvised.

The next spike that landed close to him, he used as a springboard and pushed off of it toward the cargo bed. At the same time as his paws pressed the boards back into place, Fae had finally gotten her feet under her enough to leap atop the box and make sure it stayed shut, thereby also gaining her a faster ride out of the cave.

_If_ they made it out of the cave. Balto was keeping a pretty rapid pace, but as Fae dared to glance upward, she noticed that the exit was beginning to cave in as well. This could very well be her third occasion of being buried alive and this time Riku would not be able to dig her out.

* * *

Back in Nome, the hospital was quite abuzz with noise, but not the good kind. Parents were lamenting and children were coughing while nurses administered what aid they could. One such nurse brought Rosy's mother a cup of tea to help her unwind, if at all possible. Her husband had fallen asleep with his head resting in her lap sometime prior. Jenna was in the same state with her head resting on Rosy's bedside. She wanted to be there even through her master's last moments.

* * *

Outside town, at Balto's boat, Boris was consoling Muk and Luk who were mourning the loss of their friend. In one corner of the helm room, Axel, Cloud, Donald, and Goofy quietly discussed what their next move would be. In the opposite corner, Violet awkwardly attempted to encourage the fretting Kairi.

Then, in the distance, a howl with a familiar pitch rose up alone into the night air, a restoration of the town's hope that was quickly joined by two more howls and an excited yipping.

"Balto?" Boris whispered.

He peeked out of the helm room's window in disbelief and his jaw dropped when he saw a team of purebred sled dogs bust over a snow bank being led by none other than their beloved half-breed and flanked by their new friends.

"Balto's back!" the goose shouted and threw feathers all over the place in his elation.

Violet grinned at the return of the rest of their companions, but that expression soon faded into a smirk. Without so much as a word to anyone, she took off like a shot toward town.

* * *

Balto smiled through his panting as he beheld a beautiful homemade tribute to The Northern Lights glittering off of a cliff face on the other side of town. He barely noticed Riku, Sora, and Fae break off from him and detour toward his home to greet their friends. He had only one thought on his mind right then.

"Jenna…" And then he let out another powerful howl.

* * *

Behind the walls of the hospital, Jenna's ears picked up on Balto's greeting that was growing ever closer. She barked an announcement to all the disheartened occupants of the hospital and Rosy's parents rushed to the window.

"The team!" Rosy's father said in disbelief.

"They made it!" his wife cried.

The town reacted quickly. All the lights in the townhouses came on. People looked out their windows and went out in their nightgowns to see for themselves. The dog in the telegraph post got wedged in his doggy-door as he ran to tell the news and his head met the building siding as his master hurried outside to turn the guide lantern up as bright as it could be.

Meanwhile, over in the boiler room, Steele was still unraveling his false tale to his enraptured audience while he slobbered over a bone.

"Of course, you know, I swam and I swam—It was freezing cold. And then finally, I just said, 'Steele, you're just going to have to _gnaw_ your way to the surface.' So I—"

The door to the establishment swung open and Violet announced, "He's here!"

"What?" Steele demanded of the weasel's interruption.

The largest dog who was in charge looked out the way their visitor had come and clarified, "It's Balto! With the medicine!"

Steele laughed nervously and made an effort to regain ground by flashing a charming smile at one of his female admirers. Even _she_ wasn't buying it anymore.

"Steele, you are positively _disposable_!" she informed him, sweetly at first and then angrily by the end of the sentence, accenting it by swatting the bone out of his mouth.

Steele's face acquired a dumbfounded expression and then he plunged right back into the growing avalanche of contempt, trying to find firm ground to stand on. "Okay, okay, I can explain. See, uh…you guys weren't there so you don't—"

Violet smiled smugly at him as they both watched each and every one of his fans exit the building, growling their distaste for the Husky under their breath. When they had all gone and Steele was still begging, "Wait…guys! Wait just a second…please?" the self-satisfied weasel closed the door on him. Then she bypassed the crowd gathering to congratulate Balto as she made her way back to where her fellow travelers were waiting for her.

* * *

All the mobile citizens of Nome ran out of their residences to greet the team and show their appreciation to the conquering hero—Balto. The doctor opened the crate and made sure to tell his assistants to be careful as they took the medicine inside. It was swiftly distributed to each nurse and administered to the patients while the unconscious musher was also brought in to receive care.

The rejoicing outside went on for quite some time after the return of the dogs. Everyone commended Balto repeatedly and gave him many grateful pets. The crowd only gave him a little room when Boris dive-bombed him, caught him around the neck, and gave him a good-natured noogie.

"Not dog! Not wolf! You're a _hero_!" Boris yelled in pride and planted a kiss on his friend's fluffy face.

The spectators parted in surprise when two polar bears also ran onto the scene and scooped the wolf-dog and goose into a hug. The humans laughed at the display. After a few moments, Balto was able to wriggle out of the bone-crunching embrace and was met with a new acquaintance.

"Come on, boy," Rosy's father called him. "There's someone who wants to see you."

He was allowed to enter into the hospital and watch by Rosy's bed as she came to, drowsily inquiring, "Mommy?"

"Rosy, darling!" her mother cried, hugging her child in relief and great happiness.

Rosy yawned. "I fell asleep."

Balto smiled at the reunion and then he saw the girl's musher hat sitting on a chair off to the side. Smile growing, he fetched it over to her and flopped it in her lap. She could now start really living out her dream of having her own sled dog team and maybe, just maybe, now he could be a part of it.

"Balto," Rosy whispered and hugged him about his neck. "I'd be lost without you."

Once released, Balto noticed one more guest had made an appearance to thank him. Jenna cleared her throat from the doorway and before Balto could stop himself, he had ran over to her and they were bounding around each other in excited circles, barking. But then their exhilaration calmed a little and their withheld feelings for each other set in. Despite all the witnesses, they smiled at each other and brushed their faces against one another tenderly. Fortunately, the witnesses approved and the humans all clapped at the demonstration of affection while Balto's new team beamed their support.

"Way to go, Balto!" applauded Star.

"He has the most endurance—" Kaltag began.

"Yeah!" Star concurred.

"The most fidelity—"

"Yeah!"

"The most intelligence—"

"They should build a statue of him!" Star proposed and then flinched when Kaltag came up beside him, anticipating some sort of discipline for the interjection.

Kaltag's reaction was quite the opposite. "You said it."

"I did?" Star gaped.

And then the assemblage suddenly hushed as a chorus of animal noises rose up into the night from over near Balto's house. Of particular strength were two wolf howls and the yipping of a fox, the same sounds from when the team had first arrived, though now they held a lonely tone. It was time for the visitors to take their leave.

So, right in front of all those observing, Balto sat down on his haunches, leaned his head back, and howled a long, sorrowful goodbye. Halfway through, the sled dogs and Jenna also joined in with their own versions of the farewell. It was time they all moved on in their separate directions.

* * *

Riku was not a happy camper. He had thought that after all the action he had been involved in throughout the past few days he would at least be able to get a good night's sleep, but he was wrong. Something was still bugging him in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, but it disobeyed his command and surface before his eyes anyway.

_He leaned over then and ran his pink tongue over the shallow cut. Fae sucked in a breath of surprise as he cleaned the wound and then dried it with the side of his face. A guttural growling caused the pyro to smirk and he and Fae looked over at Riku, his fur on his neck bristled to twice its size._

"_Got something to say, Keyblader?" the Husky questioned._

Yeah, that. That was definitely going to keep eating at him. Sighing heavily, he kicked back his covers, put on proper attire, and made a quiet exit from the boys' cabin. Once in the hall he jammed his hands into his pockets in an effort to contain the uncontrollable urge he felt to sock the arrogant hothead and trudged toward the cockpit.

He had something to say now.

* * *

"_What caught you across the face? You're bleeding."_

"_Probably a twig. It doesn't hurt."_

"_Here, let me get it."_

_He leaned over then and ran his pink tongue over the shallow cut. She sucked in a breath of surprise as he cleaned the wound and then dried it with the side of his face._

Fae blinked and, taking a shaky breath in real-time, she rolled onto her back. What was that about? It came completely out of nowhere. Had Axel actually meant something by the act or had it just been some animalistic instinct that had kicked in due to the transformation?

…_ran his pink tongue over the shallow cut…then dried it with the side of his face._

She touched the thin scab on her cheek and then returned to her side, butterflies in her stomach. It had sure felt like it could have meant something—something he wanted to say or a reminder of what may have meant in the past. Just what had gone on between her and Axel back then—back in the time that she couldn't remember?

Perhaps it was time she asked him. A glance at the clock on the bed stand told her that it was Axel's shift for navigating the ship. It would be a perfect time to have a conversation—no one to butt in and nothing crucial to distract him. Sometimes he became distracted easily…or perhaps he was just skilled at evading uncomfortable topics.

Mind made up, she rose as silently as possible so as not to wake Kairi and Violet and crept out into the hallway. It was there that she saw Riku ambling the same way as her destination, but he had preoccupied look on his face and he didn't notice the sound of her door shutting. She strolled after him and reached the cockpit not long after he and Axel had begun a conversation. She stopped short of rounding the corner, however, when she heard Axel chuckle and raise his voice.

"And with good reason!"

She knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, but what could she say? She was curious! So she sat down and drew her knees to her chest, listening carefully.

* * *

"What can I do for you, Keybearer?" Axel asked at the sound of nearing footsteps.

"Look, I know you're not good at keeping to your own business—" Riku began, but a chuckle from the pyro stopped his scolding.

"And with good reason!" the redhead mentioned.

"What?"

"Let's backtrack, okay? I saved _your_ best friend's life three times while I was working for the Organization. Now these are just the major ones. It doesn't count all the little things I did to help him out. The first two times were in Castle Oblivion." He raised a finger to tick off each scenario. "One was when I took out Vexen—"

"Sora had already defeated Vexen by that time."

"But the old geezer was still leaking important information about matters better left unsaid for the time being. If Sora had found out about his Nobody before he was ready, he would have killed himself storming The Castle That Never Was. Now the second time was when I save his hide from Marluxia. And _then_, good ol' Axel came to the rescue again when Sora and his two animal friends were surrounded by an army of Dusks, giving up _my_ nonexistence so that he could be reunited with his Princess and _you_. If I had kept my nose in my own business, Sora would have died early in the game. What did you do while all that was going on?"

Riku ignored the last question, not willing to allow his past to catch up to him at this point. "You did all that for Roxas, not Sora."

"Without Sora there is no Roxas!" Axel reminded him.

Riku clenched his fist in his pocket. "Just…stop trying to lay the moves on Fae, alright? Brand charged me with looking out for his sister."

"_Brand?_" Axel digressed. "I haven't seen him in forever! How's he doing?"

Riku sighed when Fae's downtrodden face formed in his mind after he told her that he couldn't take her to her brother. He rubbed his forehead and took a seat in the co-pilot chair to Axel's left.

"Don't know. No one has seen him since Fae and I were in Twilight Town…or…Castle Oblivion."

"Oh," Axel muttered and then kept silent for a few minutes as he felt the Keybearer's mind start mulling over the possibilities. Instead he focused on the small patch of space visible before them.

Out in the hall, Fae took a composing breath and climbed to her feet. She couldn't sleep before with the thoughts of Axel's strange gesture swirling in her head, but there certainly wouldn't be any chance of that now that her brother had joined the mental whirlpool. But, rather than listening to the boys continue to argue, she made her way back to the solitude of the girls' cabin.

At length, Riku spoke, but only returning to his original intention of coming into the cockpit. "I would appreciate it if—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Axel interrupted. "The Maiden is off limits. Look, man, Fae wasn't ever into me in the way she was toward the Replica, A.K.A. you. I doubt the Rogue version of her is ever going to feel any different."

Riku opened his mouth to say some parting words, but Axel waved him away.

"Get out of here. You're breaking my concentration and duck will throw a fit if I have to do some fast evasive maneuvers." He smirked at Riku over his shoulder. "You look terrible. Get some rest. I'll try to have our next stop found by breakfast."

With some burden taken off his mind and images of Donald flapping frantically through the air and splatting on the wall of the Gummi ship taking its place, Riku wandered back to his bed. It would be a pleasant surprise if he could actually follow Axel's advice for once.

* * *

Kateracks: Finished! Sorry about the length. I'll try to make the next chapter shorter. But hey, it's a nice gift to those of you who may have been waiting for this, right? I keep saying that it won't be as long to the next update, but since I won't disappoint anybody this time, I guess I'll just say that we'll play it by ear. I'm getting ready to become certified and then we'll see how busy I get after that. I'm planning on starting the next chapter within the next week or so. Hopefully. We'll see. By the way, the first person to guess what the next world is will get the chapter dedicated to them. Any runners-up will be showered with many cookies. (Looks at Arait) Any other closing comments?

Arait: I don't think I've ever eaten a talking fish.

Kateracks: That has absolutely nothing to do with the story.

Arait: It would if you had listened to me when I said that Kairi should be a goldfish.

Kateracks: ...Behind the scenes of the making of From End to Beginning…

Arait: …I started an origami earring business.

Kateracks: …That's unrelated also. -.-'

Arait: Ooh, wait! (Turns away, scribbles on something, and adds some tape, then turns back around and holds up a sign with origami cranes on it that reads, "Please Review!")

Kateracks: That's more like it. …You saw what it says! Poosh da shiny button! Ya know ya wanna!

Laters!

~K&A


	20. Chapter 20

Kateracks: Yaaayyy! We're back again! Yeah, I know, it's been too long. The bad news is that I got a job which keeps me pretty busy during the week, but the good news is that on the slow days, I can usually get some time to write, even at work.

Arait: Not that it's speeding up the process any… -.-'

Kateracks: I'm aware that I'm slow! I've had no motivation! But…upon looking at my stats, I see that, amazingly, some people are still reading my stories so…this chapter is for you guys.

Disclaimer: Didn't get the position I wanted so no. I still don't have enough money to own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion. We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

"What do you think?" Axel inquired of the group.

Everyone was standing in the cockpit of the Gummi ship, looking down on the world the pyro had flown them to with mild skepticism. As they orbited around it, they were able to see the factors that had contributed to his decision. A great portion of the world was covered in pine trees, innumerable footpaths and game tracks zig-zagging their way through the forest in hidden trails.

The footpaths converged at two central locations. The first was a camp of sorts with long lodges and domed huts secreting thin plumes of smoke from roasting fires. On one edge of the camp was a field of green plants tipped in yellow which they assumed to be corn, another of the things mentioned in their clue. The other location seemed to be more of a fortress with a protective wall surrounding the triangular tents inside. The atmosphere inside looked to be more dreary with only a few men milling around outside their quarters.

Scattered about within reasonable distance of the two areas to water the crops and the inhabitants were several water sources, including a couple waterfalls and one major river, curving out toward a larger body of water.

Fae, Violet, Kairi, and Sora stood in a cluster, reading the clue Nave had left them and comparing it to the world.

"Looks right," said Sora.

"Even promising," Fae remarked.

"I agree." Violet plopped into her seat. "Let's land this thing and get started. Just as long as I don't have to be a furry animal again…"

* * *

Axel skimmed the ship across the surface of the large body of water the rivers dumped into and tucked it under a worn edge in a cliff side where it would be out of sight. That done, he cut the engine and told all the passengers it was alright to remove their seatbelts.

"Okay, we saw two camps," Sora reminded them. "We should probably split up into two groups and search both places for Nave at the same time.

"I say we go to the fort," Violet voted. "They seemed less primitive and I don't want any stupid costume changes this time." She looked at their resident mage. "Got that? Leave me as I am."

Cloud nodded his agreement to this as well.

Axel slung an arm around Sora and Kairi's shoulders. "I'll go with these two. It's about time for us to spend some quality time together, right, Princess? Roxas?"

Kairi cleared her throat and put her hands on her hips.

"I mean, Sora," Axel corrected. "And I don't think it'd be smart for me to work with the duck this time or we might be having him _a l'orange_ tonight. So we'll go with them." He nudged the two under his arms toward Violet and Cloud and the exit of the ship, being sure to pin Donald with a glare as they passed.

The ramp lowered and as they all walked down to the earth of the new world, the appearances of those heading toward the camp morphed. Everyone watched in varying degrees of wonder as Riku's sneakers took on the more natural animal hide appearance of moccasins, his jeans became tan and took on the more stiff nature of fresh buckskin leggings and a breechcloth, while his shirt disappeared completely. A black mark resembling a moon sinking into rolling hills wound itself around his left bicep and a shape like a large paw had been tattooed on his right peck.

The hysterical laughter of Violet broke the stunned silence that had resulted. "Oh _man_, Riku! I am _so_ glad I decided not to go where you're going!"

Riku sighed and his stature slumped a bit more. Though he didn't mind going shirtless on the Islands from time to time, he hadn't planned on running all over a strange world like this. And especially not in front of Fae.

"Very funny, Donald."

"Deal with it," the duck squawked, though he wasn't himself now.

To draw less attention, he had once again changed into a less conspicuous version of his bird species, more native to the world. That really only meant that he had shrunk to a more normal size. He now barely stood at Riku's calf and went without his sailor suit apparel, though some of his feathers had taken on a blue tint as an alternative.

"A-hyuck, we gotta protect the world border, you know," Goofy inputted.

The knight had taken a more suitable form for this world as well, but this time he had remained his own species, merely dropping to all fours and shrinking to the size of a domestic dog with scraggly fur and big brown spots added to his natural black color. His clothing had also disappeared, but his shield had become some sort of hard, leather helmet for his head and like armor covering his paws. His floppy ears and typical goofy smile maintained his personality through it all, though.

"Order," Donald corrected.

"Oh yeah," Goofy chuckled. "World order."

Rolling his eyes and straightening his posture, Riku turned to face Fae and get past the initial awkwardness of having to see him this way, only to find that she wasn't behind him any longer. His mild surprise showed through to the others and they all looked around for their missing comrade. Riku called, "Fae?"

"I don't like this arrangement anymore," Fae's voice squeaked from somewhere behind the ramp of the ship. "I can't go anywhere looking like this!"

"Come on," Riku chuckled and spread his crossed arms to open himself for inspection. "Is it as bad as this?"

"Yes, it is," Fae whimpered.

"Quit being a baby," Violet grumbled. "Get out here and let us start moving. You're supposed to be a Maiden who helps balance the worlds. Start acting like one and do your job."

With a resigned sigh, the new form of Fae made its uncomfortable way out from behind the ramp. Her navy blue vest and white tank top had been replaced with a bandeau of sorts, stitched out of animal fur. Her grey zip-offs had been changed into a triangular skirt of tanned hide. Black shoes had been turned into leather moccasins. A rust-colored tattoo similar to Riku's had taken place of her metal armband, though hers was in the shape of a sun rising from a jagged horizon.

She crossed her arms over herself nervously and tried not to let her girlish hormones make her stare openly at Riku's exposed (and very nicely toned) torso. He showed her the same courtesy and averted his eyes to the landscape for the time being. He made himself intensely preoccupied with planning their route instead.

"You're ridiculous. So you're showing some midriff. Big deal," Violet derided her and requested of the rest of her group, "Let's go."

Fae didn't bother to mention that Violet had specifically ordered Donald not to give _her_ a costume change so she wouldn't wind up looking like this. Their team leaders had already begun to walk them away. All together they followed a faint footpath up from the water's edge and then they split up when it branched toward each camp. Things seemed like they would go rather smoothly this time. But, as it is said, things seldom go as planned…

* * *

"This is beautiful land," Kairi spoke as the others trudged on silently. There were a few murmurs of agreement. "Kind of like the Islands."

"Not quite," said Cloud. "There's a growing darkness here somewhere."

"Nave?" guessed Violet.

"No," Axel responded. "It lacks that force. It's more like the Heartless or maybe someone else with a dark heart. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say he's probably already gone from this world, too."

"Do you think that's why Nave's clue said the savages were singing fierce war calls?" Kairi wondered.

"We'll find out," Sora said and then froze when she gasped and grabbed his arm.

"Look!" she whispered and pointed into the brush up a hill to the side of them.

A young buck deer raised his head from where he had been grazing and looked them all over curiously, chewing his cud. Then his ear twitched toward some noise in the distance, his eyes widened, and he bounded off, quick as a flash with his white tail up and flagging. Kairi squealed at how cute he was.

Sora laughed. "I need to introduce you to Bambi."

Axel scowled at the memory of the fawn who Sora had summoned during one of their battles. The young deer with his unique ability to frolic around the battle ground, heal the Keyblade Master, and generally get in Axel's way all at the same time had led to the pyro's demise. …Not that he hadn't actually _meant_ to lose that fight…

They all stopped when Kairi gasped and grabbed Sora's arm a second time. He smiled as he scanned the scenery again, inquiring, "What? Did you see something else?"

"She sure did," came from Axel and that brought Sora's eyes forward.

He didn't have time to react before a spear was inches away from him and the love of his life. In fact, there wasn't much time for him to do anything but stammer, "Uh…" before a group of people poured out of the trees and surrounded them with many pointed weapons. The travelers were all swift to throw their hands up in a gesture of how they weren't aggressive…for now…

* * *

"What do you think these 'savages' are like?" Fae wondered aloud, once again looking down at the attire she was forced to wear to fit in with them.

"That's your job to find out," Donald remarked smugly, smirking back at her.

"We will," Riku muttered, frowning at the pointed arrow that had just been thrust into his face.

The ambush was made up of muscular men with copper skin and all dressed in a similar fashion to Riku—moccasins and no shirts with leggings, breechcloths, or both. Each carried a bow and arrow, spear, knife, or hatchet and all were ready to use them on the foreigners.

The apparent leader of the men—one with bear paw prints on his chest and a feather at the base of the mohawk shaven into his long back hair—was the one with the arrow threatening Riku's face. He gazed with scrutiny at the attire of the Keyblader and Fae and then at their skin color. If possible, his frown deepened.

"Andi wendjiban?" he demanded of Riku. _Where do you come from?_

The Twilight Warrior didn't offer any reply since neither of them would understand the other anyway.

Again the other questioned him, "Netoppew? Marrapough? Andi wendjiban?" _Friends? Enemies? Where do you come from?_

Riku only stared back silently to which the man responded with a glare. He called out orders to his men and then moved toward Fae. That was when Riku finally reacted.

His arm shot out and knocked the bow and arrow away and then he punched the leader to the ground. Riku dropped to the ground as well and swept the feet out from under the next man who reached for him next. In the meantime, one of the other warriors began to pull Fae toward the forest. A shadow soared over Riku then and Donald dive-bombed another and while he was distracted, Goofy charged after the one the Maiden was currently fighting for freedom and tackled him to the ground. Fae's path was thus cleared to make a break for it.

"Run!" Riku told her as the leader of the other ground began to climb to his feet again.

Fae jumped over one of the fallen attackers followed by Riku, but suddenly he was jerked to the ground as the leader grasped the back of his breechcloth. Fae stopped and watched the man with the mohawk stand and pull a handcrafted knife from his belt. Meanwhile, Riku rolled over, rocked back on his hands, and sprang forward, his moccasins finding the chest of his opponent and knocking him over once again.

"Run!" he called to her a second time as he and his attacker gained their feet at the same time.

Already Donald and Goofy had distracted their opponents enough that they could make their escape and now as Fae looked back toward where they were, she caught sight of Donald's white tail feathers vanishing into the surrounding foliage. With the other men recovering, she really had no choice but to flee in the same direction as her friends. And so she blindly ran after them.

As it turned out, that wasn't the best of ideas. The trees were very close and obstructed her vision so that, after several meters of tripping over roots and finding weaving paths through trunks, she lost sight of Donald's white feathers. She was now on the run, completely by herself, and being chased by a group of warriors whose calls were getting dangerously closer by the second.

A turn around a large boulder sent her tearing through some thorny berry bushes. A disturbed bird exploded from the twigs at her side, showering her with feathers and leaves so that she could not see. As she came out of the other side of the thicket, her moccasin caught a stone and she fell face-first into some shallow water.

Hurried footsteps sloshed into the water with her and someone's arms looped about her waist, picking her up and dragging her further out from shore.

"No! Let go!" she cried, wriggling around in their grasp and trying to gain a hit on her captor. Instead a hand clapped over her mouth.

It wasn't until the other person crouched down and tucked them both under a very large tree root that she found ground. With her feet dug into the mud, she threw herself back into the person and knocked the wind out of them. She heard a grunt and the hold on her loosened enough that she could sit up a bit before they reached for her another time.

"Stop! Let me go!" she ordered and brought her hand up to blast the other, hastily forming some of her light as defense.

Then a pale hand grasped hers, cupping the light in between and another came over her mouth again as a familiar voice scolded, "Shh! Fae!"

Irritated that she had gone through all that franticness for nothing, she jerked the hand off of her mouth turned to glare at her partner who was holding his bruised ribs. Indignantly she whispered, "_Riku_? Why didn't you say it was you?"

"Because I was trying to be _quiet_!" he hissed.

Fae's eyes widened as she abruptly recalled their predicament. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Are they still after us?"

Shouts from the direction they had just come were a confirmation to her question and Riku pulled her to him once more, reclining the two of them out of sight. A collection of rocks had piled on the other side of the root, but through a crack in them they could see the man Riku had grappled with run into the area. He pointed his fellow warriors in several directions to search next. As they ran off to obey his commands, he looked in the direction they were hiding with calculating, dark eyes.

Fae felt Riku's bare chest move behind her shoulders as he drew a slow breath and held it. Fae held hers also for the simple reason that she was worried her embarrassment would should through if she didn't. She again cursed her teenage hormones and prayed that their pursuer would move on quickly.

Fortunately for Fae, the man had only been watching the ripples they had left behind. Calling the last of his men to him, he ordered them to go around to the other side of the river and see if they could pick up the trail there. Then he, by himself, ran back the direction they had come.

Riku listened to the fading footfalls and remained motionless for several seconds after they had gone completely. When he was sure it was safe, he allowed Fae to get up and then he followed after her.

"They were really uptight about something…" Riku uttered as they sloshed back to dry land.

"I'm sure that you punching their leader in the face had nothing to do with it," Fae jabbed.

"He was going to grab you," was Riku's defense.

"Maybe he's just really uptight because something is going on between the camps?" Fae suggested.

A chuckle resonated in the area around them in response. "No, I'm afraid that is just the way of Kocoum."

The two teens stepped back to back and searched their surroundings for the source of the voice. But there was nothing. Just the shadows of the forest, the stillness of the water, and a giant weeping willow whose roots they had sought sanctuary under only moments before.

"Now, now, do not fear," the voice spoke again. It was elderly—wise and comforting. "There is no need for that. Come closer and you will see."

"Where are you?" Fae asked.

"Here," the voice answered.

"Do you see them?" Riku queried his companion in a hushed tone.

"No."

"Over here."

This time the direction was accompanied by a rustle in the willow vines. Both teens turned toward the sound on high alert, ready to fight. And then something extraordinary happened. A knot in the tree trunk became the face of an old woman and it smiled at them!

Fae paled. "Do…Do you see a face on that tree?"

"Yeah…?" Riku wasn't sure if he wanted to admit it. That was crazy! Trees didn't talk! And they certainly didn't have face to smile at you with! If he admitted that this one did, did that make him crazy as well?

The tree chuckled and bid them again, "Come closer."

Riku took an uncertain step forward and then glanced back at Fae.

She shrugged. "Nave did say to 'ask the Ancient of Willows for a tale.'" She nudged him toward the odd phenomenon, but kept behind him, almost using him as a shield. "Ask it something."

"What do I ask a tree?"

"I have no idea."

As if part of the tree had been cut down, a massive stump stood like a platform for judging in front of the gnarled old face of the willow. Riku warily climbed one of the roots up to the flat surface with Fae close behind. Then, standing before the amused face of the trunk, Riku turned back to Fae another time for a clue. Neither had one. They both shugged.

So Riku returned his attention to the Ancient of Willows and said the first thing he could manage which turned out to be, "Uh…Hi…?"

"Who are you?" the willow asked.

"I'm Riku. This is Fae."

"Step closer, boy. Let me look at you."

Riku wasn't so sure about getting any closer to the anomaly, but he really had no choice as some of the sagging vines wrapped around his arm and tugged him within inches of the scrutinizing bark. The face frowned at him and then nudged Fae up beside him with a second leafy tendril and squinted at her as well.

Then it smiled. "You both have quite a path set out for you, don't you?"

Fae nodded. "Yes. Do you know anything about it? We were told to ask you for a tale."

"A tale, child? …Yes, I am sure I have one." If possible, the elderly female face on the tree became even more wrinkled as she planned her next words. "Some days ago, the wind brought along a call of strange clouds and these clouds brought along even stranger men. They had a squabble with the natives of this land and a man of Kocoum's tribe was badly wounded. Now the forest is shuddering with unease like it is preparing for a great storm."

"Like war?" Riku guessed.

The willow hummed in thought.

"With a hotheaded warrior like that, I wouldn't be surprised," the Keyblade Wielder muttered.

"Kocoum would do anything to protect his people, but it is true that he can, at times, act rashly. The Chief is who you must speak to."

"Do you really think they will listen to us after what happened?" Fae asked.

"You may have to tread lightly, child, but with help from the Great Spirits, you can fulfill your purpose."

"This would be easier if we knew their language. How do you speak to someone who can't understand you?" Riku wondered.

"You must speak to the right person."

Riku brightened. "Wait…Are you saying one of them can speak our language?"

The willow chuckled and looked to Fae. "You had better not lose him, child. He's a smart one and his soul is good, his heart strong. The ties between you run deep." Her voice lowered to a whisper and she added, "And he's handsome, too," behind a few of her vines, as if that would prevent Riku from hearing. They both blushed and Riku turned away, clearing his throat.

"So how do we find this Chief?" he asked.

It was at that time that a new individual appeared on the scene. This one took the form of a young woman of dark complexion with hair and eyes to match. She wore a buckskin dress with only one shoulder strap and an arrowhead pendant strung about her neck with blue beads. She called out a happy greeting as she stepped through the weeping vines, but when she caught sight of the foreigners, her smile vanished and she froze in fear.

* * *

—**Pocahontas' POV—**

I could not help but smile when I came to the curtain of vines surrounding my oldest and dearest friend. I had so much to tell her—about John Smith, what he had told me about his village, and the people from a foreign land Kocoum had warned me about in passing. It was all very intriguing!

"Grandmother Willow!" I called, passing under her loving boughs.

But then I stopped and my heart jumped in fear. The two pale visitors wearing our clothing who Kocoum had spoken about were standing before Grandmother Willlow.

"It's them!" I cried.

"Do not be afraid, child," she said to me. "They are here to help."

"Grandmother Willow, they attacked Kocoum! They should not be here!"

"Wait, Pocahontas!"

"I began to run toward the village to bring the warriors, but suddenly many shadows appeared before me. They climbed out of the earth onto hands and feet possessing claws like eagles' talons. And they had eyes that looked like the moon, but were not comforting. Rather, they stared back at me like hungry wolves.

The two strangers ran between the shadows and I. The boy held a strange weapon in his hand and he looked prepared to fight them. He said something and, even though I could not understand, I felt a calmness fall upon me. He was going to protect us.

* * *

—**Riku's POV—**

"Get her someplace safe," I told Fae as we ran toward the Heartless and their prey. "And don't use your light. She's already scared of us without it."

I drew my Keyblade and stepped in front of the woman, saying, "I'll handle these guys."

Fae gently took her arm and urged her, "Quickly," as she pulled in the opposite direction. Any more words would have been wasted.

Luckily, the other got the meaning behind the tone and took off alongside Fae. Two Shadow Heartless leapt after them, but I caught both with one wide swing from Way to the Dawn. These were all low-level Heartless; they wouldn't take long to get rid of. Even the two new varieties that I hadn't seen before—one type wrapped up like buckskin mummies with feathers on their heads and the other kind layered in armor with muskets at their sides—were weak for coming from someone like Nave.

The challenged increased a little when the mummies pulled out bows and arrows. With muskets firing from one side and arrows from the other, the Heartless seemed to be waging a mini war about who would bring me down. It was going to take a bit more effort than that, though.

Jumping over the first line of arrows, I was able to slice though the first archer and come around behind the next to cut him down, too. That move landed me between a loaded rifle and a taut bowstring. This time I ducked and the leather mummy exploded in a puff of gunpowder. The soldier stumbled back with an arrow in its shoulder pad. I finished it off, but by then the two sides had turned on each other and I was left dodging on the outskirts of the battle.

"Not very smart creatures, are they?" the willow called to me.

I smirked and watched as one lone Heartless wearing tanned bandages took out the last of the soldiers and then let out a shrill cry. A new wave of rawhide Heartless responded, cropping up from the ground and jumping down from the trees. I tried to hack through a good portion of them as they landed, but they were more spread out so I couldn't rally them all before several went after Fae and the other woman.

"Heads up!" I warned while I began to force my way that direction, but it wasn't needed.

As the Heartless neared the two, they had to pass under the big root Fae and I had to climb to stand in front of the willow's face. I had disposed of almost all of my opponents and spun just in time to see the outcome. Once the Heartless were in the shadow of the arch, it came crashing down and thoroughly flattened them. Distracted by that sight, I didn't see the last of the mummies near me charge in, swinging a hatchet. It got too close for comfort, but as my skin almost came within contact, a willow vine shot out and snapped it in half with razor sharp precision.

I swallowed ad walked back toward the tree, admitting. "I'm glad you're on our side."

The great tree chucked at this and coaxed the two girls out of her protective branches. The older of the two still didn't look happy about the presence of Fae and I, even if we had just saved her life. She uttered something to the willow in that language we didn't understand. The tree spoke back to her in the same language and then looked at me.

"This is Pocahontas, the daughter of the Chief," she told us.

Fae smiled and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

The woman looked at Fae's hand as if it was supposed to perform a magic trick. When it didn't, she expressed her confusion in the form of, "Mattaque natorath."

"So she can take us to the Chief, but she doesn't understand us," I clarified with the tree. "We still need someone to translate for us."

A light breeze brushed past me then, blowing my hair and kicking up leaves. It stopped in a whirlwind around Pocahontas, wrapping her in a gentle embrace and singing a far off song. I couldn't catch the words.

Then the face on the willow began to sing, too. "Que que natora. You will understand."

The breeze died off and the leaves on its current drifted to the ground. The voices on the wind faded to silence, taking the noises of a living forest with it. None of us said anything at first and the willow only gave us a self-satisfied smile. Eventually I ventured, "Pocahontas…do you know what I'm saying?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes focused on mine in a way that showed comprehension. "Yes, I know." Fae moved to my side and Pocahontas questioned the both of us with, "Grandmother Willow says you are here to help my people. Is this true?"

Fae nodded. "Yes, that's true. We think the Chief may know something to help us as well. Will you take us to him?"

Pocahontas studied us and then turned to Grandmother Willow for her opinion. The tree hummed in agreement, her gnarled bark wrinkling up into a pleased smile. The Chief's daughter motioned us to follow her.

"Come with me."

* * *

—**Sora's POV—**

"Whoa! Easy!" Axel commanded the leader of the ambush who was holding an eager arrow too close. "Easy now. Let's all just calm down."

One of the men near me said something in a commanding tone and started to shoo Kairi away with the point of a spear.

"Hey!" I shouted and took a step forward before the blunt end of a second spear jabbed me in the stomach. I dropped to one knee, the wind knocked out of me.

I wasn't down there gasping for very long, but it was long enough for everything to get crazy very quickly. The men scattered, yelling in surprise as a wall of fire suddenly sprang up between us and them. So much for being subtle to protect the world order…

The warrior who had hit me stumbled backwards in shock and Axel ran to catch the one who had Kairi. With the path cleared, Cloud steered Violet around me and pulled me up by the back of my vest at the same time.

"I'm fine. Go!" I told them.

Nodding, he pushed Violet forward by her shoulder and they made for the trees. Violet clocked the guy who had hit me as they ran past and then they were gone. That left me with Axel and Kairi. Axel had managed to knock out the guy who had Kairi and as soon as I reached them, we also ran into the tree line.

Arrows ricocheted off of boulders and splintered bark on trees around us as we ran. With the angry voices close behind us, Axel held his chakrams straight out from his sides and cut through a couple young trees as we fled between them, but they only delayed the warriors for a few seconds. It only took a few seconds for Kairi to step onto a soggy piece of ground that broke off and carried her with it. She only slid about fifteen feet, but it was far enough that Axel thought he needed to push me down after her.

"Axel!" I hollered up at him from lying flat on my back at the bottom.

"Take care of your Princess, Roxas!" he ordered. "I'll take care of these punks! Catch up with ya later!"

"Axel, wait!" I called and crawled to my knees, but he had already disappeared from sight, several silhouettes chasing after him. I slumped back to sit in the mud and the Roxas in me sulked, "I hate it when he does that."

"Suddenly decides to play the hero?" Kairi guessed, holding out a hand to pull me up.

"No." I grinned. "When he runs off to find the action without me."

"I'd rather he handled this action without you," she said.

"What happened to your fearlessness now that you have a Keyblade?" I joked.

"I'm protecting the world order by not showing it to people who haven't seen swords yet," she replied as we turned and again started walking in the general direction of the fortress.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea," I agreed.

"Not that it matters now since Axel wasn't shy about showing them he controls fire."

I looked back toward the hilltop with concern. "I just hope he doesn't burn the whole forest down."

A head with a feather tied into its hair leaned over the ridge and glared down at us. It gave an excited yell and two more came up beside it to look at its enthusiastic pointing. With a triumphant chorus, the three warriors began climbing down the trees growing near the steep embankment.

"Run!" I said to Kairi and we took off through the brush again, scrambling over logs and tearing through bramble patches while arrows whistled through the air around us.

But even though we had gotten a head start, the men were gaining on us fast. They were more familiar with the land than we were and knew all of the best shortcuts to take. We started making our own to counter them.

A huge tree had grown over a boulder in our path and while Kari wriggled between the massive roots to the other side, I ran up a log that had fallen against the rock and leapt over the top to meet her. While she skipped across slippery rocks in a river rather than wading in the shallows, I swung across the whole thing using willow vines like I had learned from Tarzan in the Deep Jungle. None of it seemed to slow our pursuers down much, though. I had to duck Kairi through the small opening created by two trees leaning against each other and then dive through myself to narrowly avoid getting pinned by their arrows.

But then something happened in our favor. When the men came nearly within grabbing distance of us, the forest abruptly dispersed and gave way to a tall, log guard wall. The heels of my shoes ground into the mud as I stopped short of slamming into it, but then I couldn't dodge fast enough for the next shot. It glanced off of the shoulder of my vest and I cried out in surprise.

I spun and stepped in front of Kairi, prepared to draw my Keyblade to protect her, even if it did mean startling the natives. Kairi pressed her back into the wood behind us. But the men didn't seem to want to leave the tree line and I soon understood why.

There was a crack like thunder from above us and fire jumped over the logs of the wall. Bark flew off a trunk near our chasers and they shouted in alarm at the resulting hole. With a final glare at us, they turned and bolted back into the shadows of the hidden pine trails.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't relax yet. There was still the possibility of another threat. I spun to look at the top of the wall and backed up slowly, trying to see who or what had saved us.

A face with a black ponytail peered down at me. "Oy, lad! This is no place for a lady!"

"I tried to leave her at home, but she wouldn't listen," I said with a chuckle.

"Aye? And what are you doing here?"

"We're looking for someone."

I could feel the suspicion in his gaze, but he could clearly see me holding my shoulder and the bright red color Kairi's scratched legs had turned. He muttered something to someone else guarding the gate and then offered, "Come inside." He walked further along the wall and then called to someone below, "Open the gate!"

A crack appeared in the seemingly impenetrable wall and a redheaded boy not much older than me beckoned us inside. The man who had been talking to me met us once we were in the fort.

"Well, you're safe now," he assured us. "Let me take a look at that."

I shrugged out of one side of my vest and pulled my shirt down a little so he could see the cut. It wasn't very deep and it wasn't bleeding that much—nothing a potion couldn't fix. It had startled me more than anything.

"Ah, you'll be alright, lad." He thumped me hard on my back. "Pour some whiskey on it. You'll feel better in no time."

I rubbed the back of my head and laughed. "No, that's okay. We brought a little medicine with us that should take care of it."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Won't stop me."

We all laughed together a bit until a second redheaded man with a bushy beard came toward us, leading a largely built man in a purple suit and hat behind. The man in the suit frowned and looked down his nose at us.

"What's this about then?" he asked of his men.

"Sir, they were chased to our fort by the Indians," the black haired one answered.

"But we showed them a thing or two about getting too close," the one with the beard added.

"Good men," the guy in the suit applauded and then glared at us. "But who are you?"

"I'm Sora and this is Kairi."

"We didn't see any other ships here…" he mentioned doubtfully.

"We just got here."

"And what is your mission? Who sent you?"

I wasn't sure how much I should tell this guy, but I guess it didn't hurt to mention a couple names as long as we stayed vague about everything else. "Uh…we were sent by King Mickey…to find an enemy of his—a guy named Nave. Have you heard anything about him?"

"I have not heard of this _Nave_, nor have I heard of your _King Mickey_. How am I to know you are not lying about your true intentions?"

I hadn't thought about that. "Um…I…Well, I don't have any proof…"

Kairi snapped her fingers, signaling that she had an idea. "Do you still have the letter the King wrote to summon us?"

"Oh!" I did still have it! I had folded it up and put it in my pocket one night after we had all sat around discussing what we were going to do and I hadn't bothered to take it out since then. Sometimes Kairi still surprised me, even after we'd been friends for so long. I dug it out from among the potions, munny, and synthesis shards I had stuffed in there and tried to smooth it out the best I could before handing it over.

The man wrinkled his nose at the sad state of the paper and held it at a distance when he read it as if it carried a plague. Eventually he folded it again and handed it back. He harrumphed.

"Very well, it seems you do have business to conduct for your King. However, I am Governor Ratcliffe and I have strict order by King James the First of England to find all of the gold hidden in this land. Therefore, tell your crew that any they may find on this voyage is to be brought to _me_ straight away. Have I made myself clear, Sora?"

I straightened into the posture I used for people of authority. I wasn't sure who James the First of England was, but he was a king and this guy worked for him. That was enough for me.

"Uh…Sure. I mean, yes, uh, Sir. Mr. Governor, sir."

"Good, boy. Carry on then."

And with a parting wave to us and his men, he walked back to a tent he had on a hill, overlooking the entire camp.

The man with the beard smiled at us. "Glad to know you're on our side, mate! Welcome to Jamestown. I'm Lon. Good to meet ya!" He shook our hands enthusiastically.

"I'm Thomas," said the boy who was about our age.

"The names Ben," introduced the one with the ponytail. "And we better get back to our posts before those savages come back for revenge."

He and Lon reluctantly walked away to return to guarding the wall. Thomas picked a shovel from a nearby barrel of tools and waved goodbye to us.

"I hope you find who you're looking for. Will we see you later?"

I nodded. "Maybe we'll sleep inside the wall tonight if your Governor will let us. It'll be safer for us in here, I think."

Thomas nodded his understanding and then he followed after Ben and Lon.

I retrieved a potion from my pocket and handed it over to Kairi, blocking the view of the glowing green liquid while she took a sip. The scratches on her legs lost a bit of their angry red color and closed up, leaving behind thin lines of scabs. They would heal by themselves in no time without drawing much attention.

"I dunno, Sora," Kairi muttered to me as she handed the vial back and I took a swig. "I think we walked into something bigger than we anticipated…"

* * *

—**Riku's POV—**

We caused quite a disturbance when we walked into the Indian camp. A confused and fearful murmuring spread throughout the people—men reached for whatever they could use in defense, women ushered their children into their homes. Fae smiled, trying to put some at ease, but it didn't seem to make a difference. They just stared at her like she may have an evil plan.

"They are frightened by the color of your skin," Pocahontas informed us.

"We can't help it that we're the same color as the men who attacked you," Fae pointed out.

I'm sure it didn't help that a few of the men parted to let Kocoum onto the scene. Seeing it was us again, he acquired a deep scowl on his face and stalked over to Pocahontas. Gripping her arm firmly, he began speaking to her in an angry tone, gesturing stiffly at us. People started peeking out of their hiding places to see what he was going to do to us.

Pocahontas turned to me. "Kocoum says you struck him."

"I thought he was going to hurt Fae." And I wasn't going to feel bad if I had to punch him again.

I thought I saw the ghost of a smile cross her face before she turned back to the warrior. She a put a gentle hand on his shoulder and calmly explained the situation. Kocoum gradually relaxed and, although he still didn't look happy about it, he allowed us to pass once she had finished speaking. Then the tension slowly dissolved among the rest of the tribe as we made our way up to a lodge at the highest point in the camp.

"This is the longhouse of the Great Powhatan," said Pocahontas.

Before we even reached the door, a tall man with feathers in his long black hair and a thick fur over his shoulders was standing outside to meet us, an authoritative staff in his hand, also adorned with feathers. He greeted Pocahontas warmly, but gave us a wary look over the top of her head. Pocahontas filled him in on all that had happened (I only assumed since I couldn't understand any of it, but she was motioning at us a lot) and then the man invited us inside his lodge with a sweeping gesture.

It was warm and cozy inside. A small fire had been built on the earth floor with animal hides spread out on the ground around it. Various pottery lined shelves on that walls and a few had been laid out on the skins as if in preparation for company. Antlers hung on the walls to show the hunting skill of the Great Powhatan, along with a large bear fur blanket on a makeshift bed across the room.

The Chief sat cross-legged on the far side of the fire and directed us to do the same with another gesture. I nodded to Fae and we sat on the furs across from him with a similar posture. Pocahontas took a seat to her father's right, acting as the medium between us. I waited silently while the Chief studied us and that forced him to be the one to speak first. His daughter translated his words to us as he attempted to communicate.

"He speaks of all I have told him," she began. "About your arrival, the misunderstanding with Kocoum, and the battle with the strange shadow creatures. You are a great warrior and a cunning hunter, like the wolf." She pointed to the tattoo on my chest. Well, at least I was consistent with my animal identities. "He knows your names. He asks which tribe you are from?"

"We're from the tribe of…" I shot Fae a sideways glance.

"She raised her eyebrows and then supplied, "Mickey?"

"The tribe of Mickey," I confirmed.

Pocahontas relayed this in her own language and then listened to the response. "He knows nothing of that tribe."

"We've come a long way," I said.

"To help," Fae added. "Grandmother Willow said there had been a fight with the other visitors who were brought along by the clouds and now the forest is uneasy as a result."

The Great Powhatan nodded as this was told to him. Pocahontas voiced his words, "Yes, they are pale like you and have fur on their faces like animals." I looked down at our fair skin and wondered if it would have been better if we had rolled in dirt a little before coming. At least I wasn't growing a beard. "They attacked our warriors and one of them was badly wounded. Since then, we have sent for the other tribes and there is talk of war." The sad expression Pocahontas was wearing lifted a little when she smiled at the next sentence. "My daughter believes you _are_ here to help and I trust my daughter. What can you do?"

I looked to Fae again, wondering how much I should say and how much would get across the barrier. She shrugged. Might as well get out as much as possible then.

"Those shadows that attacked Pocahontas were sent here by an enemy of our chief. We are looking for that enemy or anyone who might know where he went."

The Chief made the response, "He came to see me. He has gone now. Why are his creatures still here?"

"We think it may have to do with the other guests to this land," Fae volunteered. "Well find out how. Can the Chief tell us what the enemy said to him?"

Pocahontas asked her father this. The man rubbed his chin in thought, considering the two of us with more curiosity. After a minute he spoke. His daughter frowned and I bet she didn't like his idea, but she couldn't go against his word.

She said, "If you can help us defeat these white men and the shadows, he will tell you what he was told."

* * *

Kateracks: Sorry about all of the "savages" and "white men" stuff. It's all part of the time period, though. And sorry if any of the language stuff is wrong. I wanted to use authentic phrases, but…

Arait: We researched it for forever and it seems like their language is almost dead.

Kateracks: So I don't know how many of my readers know Algonquian, but if I'm off, I apologize. …Oh! And I also apologize again for the delay in chapter production.

Arait: At least you're consistent. Just like Riku.

Kateracks: But, like I said, I have some time to write even during work and I've already gotten the second half of the chapter started, this just seemed like a good place to end it since it was getting pretty long already. Sorry...again... I don't expect much, but something would be nice for all our hard work. So…

Please Review!

Laters!

~K&A


	21. Chapter 21

Kateracks: There! See what happens when I actually have time to write? Stuff actually gets done! That was much quicker than the last update!

Arait: (Throws confetti)

Kateracks: I'm so excited that I'm just going to go into the story. Sound good?

Arait: (Breath in)

Kateracks: Good! On with the chapter!

Arait: (Breath out) Read on then…

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion. We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

—**Third Person POV—**

Once Axel was sure he had given his pursuers the slip and could safely go search for his friends, he had walked about half a mile in the direction he'd come from before he came across a tall, long, wooden wall of some sort. He assumed this was the fort they were supposed to find. But after all of the fleeing they had done from the natives, he was beginning to wonder if these other people were really as nice as his companions thought they'd be or if the Indians had reason to be on the fight? It was probably this thought that caused him to spin with his chakrams drawn when he heard steps behind him.

"Whoa! Easy there!" the blonde man uttered, throwing his hands up in surrender, blue eyes gazing at the pointed tip near his throat.

Axel lowered his weapon. "I can understand you…"

"And I you," the other man said in relief. "We didn't think there were any other white folk in this area."

"Neither did we," Axel responded.

"We?" the man pressed. He was standing at his fort so it was obvious his men were nearby, but Axel was clearly by himself.

"My team and I," said Axel. "I've been looking for them. Don't suppose you've seen a spikey-haired brunette kid or a blonde guy running around with two girls, have you?"

The man shook his head. "I haven't. But this is my fort and my men have been on the watch all day. Maybe they have."

Axel followed as he led the way to the opening in the wall, the other mentioning over his shoulder, "I'm John Smith, by the way."

"Axel."

As they came around to the entrance, so did a younger lad sporting a hat and a rifle. A twig snapped under John Smith's boot sole and the boy hastened the gun to his shoulder. For the second time, John threw up his hands, but this time he smiled, too.

"Easy, Thomas, it's me."

"Oh, John," the boy gasped. "I could have killed you!"

"Not aiming like that you couldn't," advised John. "Keep both eyes open when you shoot. You'll see twice as well."

With that, he slapped the boy on the back and headed inside. Thomas was left to practice and pass a curious glance at Axel as he slipped inside along with their leader. Then a realization struck him about the odd appearance of the stranger.

He ran to catch up with them and asked Axel, "Are you one of Sora's men?"

Axel brightened. "Yeah! Is he here?"

"He was over this way, last I saw," Thomas directed.

"Smith!" a large man in purple pants shouted, coming down a hill from a tent. He gave Axel a skeptical look, but continued with his original purpose, "Where have you been?"

I was…out scouting the..terrain, sir," said John. "And I came across this fellow."

Sora had since called out a greeting and come to meet Axel so Ratcliffe ignored his presence for the time being. "Excellent!" he commended John. "Then you must know the Indians' whereabouts. We will need them for the battle."

"What battle?" John demanded.

"We will eliminate these savages, once and for all!"

"No!" John spoke loudly. "You can't do that!"

The talk of the reunited other worlders quieted at the raised voices and they all turned to listen.

The Governor raised his eyebrow at the outburst. "Oh? Can't I?"

"Look, we don't have to fight them."

"John, what's gotten into you?" asked Thomas.

"I met one of them," John admitted.

"You _what_?" Ben gaped.

"A _savage_?" Thomas clarified and Axel, Sora, and Kairi stepped out of the way as more men began to surround John Smith.

"They're not _savages_," John explained. "They can help us. They know the land. They know how to navigate the rivers." A furry paw peeked out of the satchel at his side as Meeko, the local troublemaking raccoon and friend of Pocahontas, held up an ear of corn. John raised it up to where everyone else could see it. "And look! It's food!"

"What is it?" Lon marveled.

"It's better than hard tack and gruel, that's for sure," reasoned John.

"I like gruel," a skinny man voiced from where he was brushing the Governor's hair.

Ratcliffe had heard enough damage being done to his plan. "They don't want to feed us, you ninnies!" He snatched the corn away and threw it into the dirt and gestured to all of the spectators, including the Keyblade Master and his friends. "They want to kill us! _All_ of us! They've got our gold! And they'll do anything to keep it!"

"But there is no gold!" John interrupted.

"No _gold_?" Ben repeated, aghast.

"And I suppose your little Indian friend told you this?" Ratcliffe sneered.

"Yes," John confirmed, squaring off with the other man.

"Lies! _Lies_! _All_ of it! Murderous thieves, there's no room for their kind in civilized society."

"But this is their land!" John argued.

"This is _my_ land!" The Governor yelled. "_I_ make the laws here. And I say…whoever so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight will be tried for treason…and _hanged_!"

While John Smith and Governor Ratcliffe had an old fashioned staring match, Axel pulled Sora and Kairi to the side. "Have you see Fae or Vi and their boys out there?"

"No, you're the first person we've seen since we split up," replied Kairi.

Axel crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Don't get me wrong, I think that guy's a pompous windbag, but maybe he's right. If they aren't here and no one else has seen them…then maybe those Indians do want to kill us."

"But Riku and Fae should be in the other camp by now, right? So if Cloud and Violet got into trouble, they would protect them, wouldn't they?" fretted Kairi.

"Of course they will, but I don't think that it's just the Indians we have to worry about," muttered Sora. "Did either of you feel something off about the Governor when he was ranting?"

"Like a surge of darkness?" Axel inputted.

Sora nodded. "I think we need to check him out, too."

The crowd that had gathered to watch the exchange between the two leaders had begun to dwindle. Some men went back to their guard posts, others went back to digging, and the rest milled about while pondering what had been said. When he was sure that it wouldn't draw attention, he wandered over to his newest friend.

"Thomas, do you think you could look in Ratcliffe's tent for us?"

* * *

"No," Riku said again.

"Please?" Fae begged relentlessly.

"We can't. What if someone sees?"

"No one will see. They're all asleep." She laid a band on his bare chest, eyes pleading.

"What about the warriors patrolling the village?"

"It'll be quick."

Riku heaved a sigh and looked into the hut where the Indian who was injured in the fight with the white men lay sweating under several fur blankets. His breathing was labored and raspy and every little bit he'd groan out how miserable he was. It was obvious that an infection had formed, most likely caused by the natives' inexperience at treating wounds involving gunpowder.

"We can't just let him die," Fae reasoned another time.

Reluctantly, Riku removed a vial of potion from his belt where it had been hidden by his breechcloth. "Just a sip."

"Just a sip," Fae agreed and hurried over to the unconscious man.

"I'm serious, Fae. Just enough to fight the infection. If he's suddenly healed and they find out we were the last ones to see him, they'll be really scared of us."

"Relax, I'm already finished," she reassured him, holding up the vial to show most of its contents were still inside. The man's breathing had already calmed enough to give him the relief of an easier sleep despite his wound.

"Great, now let's get out of here. We did tell the Chief we'd keep the Heartless away from the village tonight."

Fae followed without any further protests as Riku led the way out of the village and started to walk the perimeter of the forest around the encampment. It was easy to find their targets in the light of the full moon. Riku hacked down a few of the rawhide-bound mummies and the musket-wielding soldiers while Fae took care of any Shadows. She was sure to check over her shoulder before she unleashed her light upon them. Then she stood by and admired Riku's swordsmanship as he overpowered wave after wave of the little boogers.

"Do you suppose I should see if Sora knows of a place nearby where I could trade for a weapon?" she voiced thoughtfully.

Riku finished off the current onslaught and took a breather. "I dunno. Do you remember how to handle a weapon?"

"I've done it before?"

"Guess that answers that question." He smirked. "When I knew you from before, you carried a pair of short swords."

Fae pondered this, but she couldn't recall the objects, the attacks, or even a stance. "No, I guess I don't remember."

Riku shrugged. "You can always start over. Here, come try mine."

Fae giggled and shook her head. "You just want to see me look like an idiot."

"No, I don't, but suit yourself." He fell back into his stance and got ready for the next group.

When he had exterminated those in no time as well, Fae asked, "Do you think I'd be able to handle it?"

Riku shrugged a second time. "You won't know 'til you try." He offered her the hilt of Way to the Dawn.

Still unsure, but slightly curious, Frae took it in her hand the way she'd watched Riku do. It didn't seem so hard…But then Riku let go and the full weight dropped down on her arm. The tip of the blade took a dive into the dirt. She slumped and giggled in embarrassment.

"I guess that settles that."

"You have to go about it the right way," Riku instructed. "Try this. Get your feet under you and widen your stance a little." He nudged her moccasins apart with his own. "Make sure you're centered so you can handle the extra weight. Now lift."

She was able to get the blade out of the earth at least, but the whole thing was quaking from the weakness of her muscles. Riku smiled a bit.

"Try holding it with both hands."

Fae wrapped a second hand around the handle and that steadied the quivering a little. With a nod of approval from Riku, she took a practice swing. While her novice skills were dreadfully apparent, she didn't take off any of her own limbs so Riku decided it would be safe to give her a live target. Another round of Heartless were making their way toward them. He cleared most of them away with a couple Firaga spells, but left a lone Shadow shivering under his intimidating silhouette. It flip-flopped out of the way he spread his arms and herded it toward Fae.

"I don't think it's very honorable for me to fight a Heartless with you there to make sure it doesn't get away," Fae complained. Really, she just wasn't sure if she would be able to take down something that looked so scared.

"This is just practice, Fae," Riku reminded her. Then, reading her expression, he added, "And the fights won't usually be like this."

Fae nodded. She had seen how they liked to attack in groups and the stronger breeds were relentless even if they were obviously no match. Unlike this Shadow, very few realized when they should cower at the spike in the power levels radiating off of an opponent. So really, she should be practicing if she wanted to make Heartless fear her like they did Riku. She tightened her grip.

As Riku shooed the critter onward and stepped out of the way, Fae launched herself and swung down on the bobbing head. But as the weight of Way to the Dawn pulled her forward, she realized she had misjudged the distance. Riku jumped back an extra two feet and the Heartless flattened onto the ground as Fae's knees crashed into where it had just been sitting. The Maiden watched it scurry away into the woods and then smiled bashfully up at Riku.

"Guess I really messed that one up, huh?" she giggled.

Riku smirked as he helped her up. "It's not a sledgehammer. See how it's shaped? The curved blade here adds to the downward cutting force, it's not just the weight. So you don't have to throw it down. And the back is sharp, too, so that you can catch anything else on the backswing."

He spun her around and pulled Way to the Dawn into the proper position, wrapping his hands around hers. Guiding her arms with his, he cut down through the air and then ripped the blade up and to the side, the jagged edges whistling. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt how the weight and design worked in sync with less effort than she had thought was necessary, but she wasn't really concentrating on that.

What she was concentrating on was the fact that for the second time on this world, Riku's exposed chest was pressed into her shoulders. She could feel the heat of a blush flare up her neck and consume her face. Riku didn't notice. He was a guy and he was in his zone, discussing something he was knowledgeable about with someone who would listen.

He took the blade from her hand. "But you could be right. You might need something lighter."

She turned to say something to him and promptly forgot what it was when they came face-to-face. He had allowed his stance to mimic Fae's during his demonstration and now he was close enough that she could feel his breath as he spoke. It caught Riku's attention as well and the second half of his sentence died in his throat as his aquamarine eyes met Fae's grey ones. Her lips parted, but no sound came forth. Riku swallowed and his mind backtracked, trying in vain to recall what he had been saying. Only one thought was coming to mind right now, though, and as strange as it seemed, he leaned in a bit more…

Then reeled backwards when a voice behind them startled them both back to clarity.

"Pocahontas!" it yelled.

The two teens whirled away from each other and toward the sound to see Pocahontas hurry out of the village and disappear into one of the cornfields. She was followed by the worried gaze of her best friend Nakoma.

"Where do you suppose she's going?" Fae wondered.

Riku shrugged. "Let's find out."

He jogged after the Chief's daughter and Fae trailed after him only to be stopped by another sudden invasion of Heartless. A great number of them were already headed into the village. Riku spun on his heel and sprinted around to cut them off. Fae paused and blasted a few Shadows with light, but Riku urged her away.

"Go find out what Pocahontas is up to. I'll take care of these guys."

Fae nodded and disappeared into the dark as Riku was bombarded by arrows and musket balls.

* * *

Violet collapsed with a resigned sigh of defeat on a rocky overhand at the bank of a river. In frustration, she popped off her shoe, tore off her sock, and immersed her foot in the cold water.

"Well, that was a stupid idea," she sulked.

Rather than agreeing with her, Cloud opted for staying silent and took a seat upstream from her. He considered the swollen ankle and a small smile whispered across his lips. It wasn't broken. She had twisted it while attempting to perform a gymnast-like move during their escape.

Springing over one of their native pursuers and using a tree branch to swing above a second. With her serving as a distraction, Cloud was able to knock them both out. It would have been completely successful if it hadn't been for the rocky terrain. When she tried to stick the landing, a stone rolled out from under her foot, taking her ankle along with it. After the initial burst of pain, she had picked herself up and insisted that they keep walking. Indeed it hadn't been a good idea and her ankle had swelled up to twice its size to prove it.

Fighting back any sarcastic remarks, he stooped to scoop up some of the clear water to drink. As he lifted his hands to his mouth, though, something reflected in the liquid caught his eye. With everyone sleeping in their separate quarters and being changed into animals on the last world, he hadn't really noticed it, but now he did. Violet's hair had gotten quite a bit longer and now as the full moon down on her head, her crown was a different color.

"What are you looking at?" she inquired curiously.

"Your hair…"

"It's purple. What about it?"

"It's not really."

Violet cocked a brow. "What color would you call it?"

"Brown-black."

"I never would have taken you for color blind."

Cloud shook his head. "Look down."

Violet rolled her eyes, but humored him and looked down at her knees. She didn't see how that made it clear. Nothing changed.

"What now?"

"Farther. Look into the river."

With a scoff, she jokingly leaned forward and almost put her head between her knees. This shook her hair loose from where it was tucked behind her ears. Cloud rolled his eyes at her antics, but pointed out the obvious change in color.

Violet grabbed one of the strands and held it up to the moonlight. "Huh…Well, whataya know? I guess there is a little part of me that's norm—AH!"

Cloud blinked when she jerked her foot out of the river and scooted back from the water's edge. At the strange look he gave her, she jabbed a finger accusingly at the offender.

"Something grabbed my foot!"

He examined the depths, but nothing menacing caught his eye. It showed.

"I'm serious, Cloud! It wanted to drag me in!"

She leaned forward to look for herself and then jerked backward a second time when a furry head broke the surface. The otter chattered happily at them both and paddled along the edge of the water, inviting the two travelers to play with it. Smiling a little, Violet scooted forward again.

"Boo!"

It dove under and bobbed up a moment later, still talking to them in its own language.

"Boo!"

This time it swam out a few feet and returned, swam out a few more feet and returned. When neither of them chased after it, it flipped onto its back, showing off its pale underbelly. Violet got onto her knees and leaned out to stroke it. The otter floated away a little more, just out of her reach. Violet giggled and played along, stretching out as far as she could, almost touching the soft pelt…

When the critter suddenly spouted an almost mischievous smile and leapt out of the water, did a backflip, and splashed the unsuspecting Maiden in the face. Violet winced and her hand slipped off of the rock. Luckily, Cloud gripped her shoulder before she could tumble head first into the depths. The otter resurfaced, chattering with its equivalent of hysterical laughter.

"Hey! You jerk!" Violet yelled at it and it shrunk back in fear. Then she felt bad. "Sorry. No, don't be afraid…"

Regardless of the apology, it dove into the deep and raced away, not to make another appearance. Violet slumped.

"Darn it. I really should learn to count to ten first…"

"I don't think it was afraid of you," Cloud remarked and when Violet turned to him, she saw what he meant.

Behind them a humongous Heartless loomed—nearly as tall as some of the ancient trees forming the clearing they were in, it had to have been twenty-five feet tall. It had two sides to its body so that it could see to defend itself from threats coming from either direction. The side currently facing them was effeminate and wrapped head to toe in tanned hide strips, only its bright yellow eyes and long tendrils of smoke that resembled hair peeked through the wrappings. It held a bow strung with an arrow the length of a small Gummi Ship in front of the heart-shaped hollow that went clear through to the other half. This side's boxy figure indicated that it was male, but it was completely covered in armor, save a slat in its helmet where its yellow eyes glared out. It carried a musket half the size that it was. By far the most interesting feature however, was that no matter what side of the body was facing them , the other side could take over at any time by way of a swiveling torso.

"I guess I can understand that," Violet muttered and then had to spring out of the way as it swiveled and the musket shot a cannonball at her.

Upon finding safety, she began charging a light orb big enough to damage a house. Cloud covered her by taking a more close range approach and trying to take out the monster at the shins. While the legs of the leather side facing him shuddered from the blows, though, the armored legs on the other side kept it upright. The torso turned and the female Heartless swept the ground at its feet with its bow, but Cloud was already out of the way.

Violet was ready, though, and she launched a beach ball sized orb of light right at the Heartless' head. It connected with enough forced that the upper body spun around a couple times and the goliath staggered backwards, but it wasn't down for the count. It righted itself and then it got angry. Together the two halves put their weapons in the air and they began to glow a fiery combination of red, orange, and yellow and it took the shape of a gigantic arrow.

The Maiden backed up a little. "That doesn't look good. Think we should—?"

Then the arrow exploded. The shrapnel became hundreds of fire-coated arrows.

"Run," Cloud finished for her.

Together they took off in the opposite direction, deflecting what they could, but fleeing that way took them back to the river which was now foaming in agitation. Cloud didn't seem fazed and while he pushed Violet this way and pulled her that way to avoid arrows, he kept them headed toward the rock they had been sitting on. At the last minute, he tugged her toward him as he jumped down, causing her to practically fall into his arms, but she didn't hurt her ankle that way.

His feet hit the shallows and he backed them both under the overhang created by the rock. Hundreds of arrows whizzed overhead and pelted the water around their sanctuary. Violet hoped that the otter had found a good place to hide.

When the numbers began to dwindle, they started the climb back up.

"If my attack made it that mad, I bet it did some damage. Want me to do it again?" Violet wondered.

Cloud's nod concurred with the idea and when their feet met solid ground, they split forces once more. Cloud jumped into a tree to reach higher on the beast and Violet began charging a second light blast from the boughs of another. Cloud jumped and swung a deep arc downward, catching the Heartless across its chest as he dropped. When he cut through the bandages of the feminine half, thousands of yellow eyes glared out at him.

Violet leapt next, dodged a shot from the musket meant for Cloud, and hurled her bright attack into the crevice made by Cloud. The explosion that followed ripped the gap even wider. Unfortunately, the Heartless still managed to swing out in rage and caught her legs as she fell past, altering her trajectory.

She tried to put all of her weight on her opposite side, but she didn't completely succeed and she stumbled a bit from the pain in her ankle. By the time she gained her footing and spun to face the monster, it had reloaded and fired again. Violet couldn't jump fast enough, but Cloud could and he landed in from of her just in time to catch the musket ball with his sword and shear it in half.

The Maiden smiled at him gratefully, but she wasn't smiling for long. The gap they had created started to repair itself right before their eyes and soon the Heartless was not wounded at all. Violet, however, still was.

"Did you see that?" she gaped.

Cloud nodded. "I see that, too."

The Heartless raised its weapons and charged another fire arrow. They both knew that Violet wouldn't be able to outrun another of those attacks and they were much farther from the river at that point. So before the opponent could even launch the attack, Cloud wound up and pitched his sword toward the beast. The blade spun out like a boomerang, but being that it wasn't, it did not return after it decapitated both of the heads.

Still, though, the creature wasn't down and out. As it dropped to its knees, the normal sized versions of itself began to jump out and soon the whole thing dismantled into a small army.

"So it wasn't just one Heartless," Cloud muttered, now wishing he carried more than one blade.

"Leave them to me," Violet said.

As the Heartless approached, she formed another light ball the same size as the other two, but this time it behaved differently. Rather than swirling in a continuous spherical pattern like the others, this one lashed out in various places as though ready to detonate. When it was large enough to suit her, Violet threw it into the air and detonate it did. Like the fire arrow had done, it exploded into many deadly pieces, but differently they all did not seek one target. Instead each orb went after its own Heartless until they were all exterminated.

Violet put her hands on her hips and observed her handiwork. "I guess training with Yen Sid did have its advantages. That was fairly effective." She turned to her partner. "Let's go find your sword and see if we can't find that fort along the way."

How unfortunate that fate had other plans. Cloud was really wishing that he hadn't gotten rid of his weapon so carelessly when they reached the tree line and came upon a squad of Indians coming to investigate the commotion. They had no choice but to be escorted away at spear point.

* * *

Axel leaned away from a lunging Shadow Heartless and fried it with a flame engulfed chakram. _There. That was the last of them._ He caught his weapon on the rebound and then realized that it wasn't the only thing whistling through the air. He ducked just in time to save himself from being beheaded. Something sharp impaled the rock ledge he had had his back against, sending pebbles falling into his hair.

When the debris cleared, he looked up and was surprised to see Cloud's sword sticking out of the stone. He gripped the hilt and pulled it free, examining it for any clue as to what would have happened to its owner. Finding none, he decided it would be a good idea to take it back to Sora and regroup before they set out on a search for the two that should have been with the weapon. After all, traveling as fast as it had been, it could have gone quite a distance before he found it.

He made his way back to the fortress and sought out the Keyblade Master and the Princess of Heart. "Did you find anything?" he asked of them.

"No," answered Sora. It took him a minute to pinpoint what was different about the pyro, but once he figured it out, he was shocked. "Is that Cloud's sword?"

Axel unstrapped the blade from his back and held it out as proof. "Yeah. Just about took my head off. Must have been quite a fight…"

"Do you think the Indians actually caught them?" Kairi worried.

Before either of them could reassure her, Axel noticed Thomas approaching them after completing his task. It had taken a lot of persuading on their part, but finally Thomas had conceded to sneaking into Ratcliffe's tent and looking around for any sort of clue that Nave had visited the Governor. If Axel's logical argument that the battle with the natives could possibly harm some of his friends and Sora's promise that they could stop said battle didn't make an impact on the boy, Kairi's "pretty please" pout and request of his help to satisfy their own king sure did. Even though he was now returning to them with a look of failure, it did keep him from accidentally trying to shoot someone for a while.

"Sorry, Sora. I didn't see any sort of parchment other than our maps, nor was there anything dark that looked like it didn't belong."

"That's okay, Thomas," said the Keyblade Bearer. "We didn't turn anything up in our search either. Thanks for looking anyway."

"So Nave must not have stopped here," Kairi supposed.

"Then that means the only thing left to worry about is…" Thomas paused when a glimpse of blonde hair weaving through the shadows around Ben's nearby campfire caught his eye.

Ben's comment to some men seated around him caught Sora's attention. "Ratcliffe wouldn't take us halfway around the world for nothin'."

Lon inquired, "But what if Smith is right? What if there is no gold?"

Axel and Kairi turned their focus to the conversation also when another man interjected, "You ask me, Ratcliffe's been lying to us since we left London."

The three other worlders moved closer to listen better, but Thomas went the other way unnoticed as Ben grumbled, "Listen to ya, ya bunch o' idiots! Those savages didn't attack us for nothin'. They're hidin' somethin'."

"But if they do have the gold, then we _will_ have to fight them for it," another man voiced.

This all faded into the background as Thomas crept to the exit of the fort and peeked around the corner, seeing a streak of blonde as an indication of which direction Smith had taken. Then suddenly a hand shoved him out into the forest. He gasped and whirled to look up into the glaring eyes of the Governor.

"Follow him," he ordered.

"Yes, Governor."

"I want to know where he's sneaking off to."

"Yes, sir."

"And if you happen to see any Indians…" Something glinted in the dark and Thomas reached out to catch whatever was being tossed at him. A rifle landed in his hands. "Shoot them."

Thomas frowned, the weight of the gun and the responsibilities that it carried still feeling strange in his grasp. But he _had_ just been given direct orders. He turned away to obey them.

"Oh, and Thomas…" He turned back to their leader. "You've been a slip-shot sailor and a poor excuse for a soldier. Don't disappoint me again."

He slumped and trudged after Smith's footprints in the dirt. He didn't want to bring shame to the expedition, his family, or himself by failing again. But, on the other hand, he sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to pull that trigger.

* * *

Fae had caught up with Pocahontas without much trouble and was permitted to tag along. Apparently the chief's daughter had been communicating with more pale skinned folk than just the two other worlders. Now the warriors from the surrounding tribes had arrived, she was going to try to convince her white friend, John Smith, to call off the impending fight. Their chosen meeting place was none other than Grandmother Willow.

"The earth is _trembling_ child! What's happened?" the ancient tree asked as they climbed to meet her. Frantic squirrels scurried up her face and into her branches and she shuddered.

"The warriors are here!" Pocahontas announced.

"Pocahontas," a male voice called behind them. Upon noticing Fae standing alongside his love interest, John Smith acknowledged her with an, "Oh…Hello…"

"This is Fae. She wants to help."

Without arguing that, he took Pocahontas' hands and gave her a warning, "Listen to me. My men are planning to attack your people. You've got to warn them."

"Maybe it's not too late to stop this," said Pocahontas hopefully. "You have to come with me and talk to my father."

John pulled her to stop. "Pocahontas, talking isn't going to do any good. I've already tried talking to my men. But everything about this land has them spooked."

Fae jumped backwards and fell off of Grandmother Willow's root when a loud howl of some sort startled them all. In the distance, a shadow appeared. It was barrel-shaped with two skinny arms and it walked bi-pedally.

"That's the strangest creature I've ever seen!" Grandmother Willow gawked. And that was saying something! After all, she was hundreds of years old!

Then the oddity moved toward them and Fae wondered if maybe it could be a new sort of Heartless. But then…it tripped and rolled down the hill toward them. Its skinny arms got caught in a bush and out popped a very distressed-looking, small, white dog. He landed in John's arms with a yelp.

"Percy!" John addressed it, recognizing that he was none other than the Governor's pooch.

But the dog ignored him, already barking and on the fight with Pocahontas' raccoon friend. He leapt out of the man's arms and gave chase to the ringtail. Fae danced awkwardly around them as they circled her feet.

"Percy, get back here!" John shouted.

"Meeko, come back!" Pocahontas called.

"See what I mean?" asked John. "Those two sides want to fight, nothing can stop them."

Pocahontas walked in amidst the fray and tried to break it up by pulling Meeko off of Fae's back where he had taken refuge. Percy was still barking, though, and Meeko jumped out of her arms, fleeing to Grandmother Willow for aid.

"Come here, both of you!" commanded the native woman.

"It's alright, he's a friend," John assured the dog and bent to pick him up, only to have the canine run right between his legs. He tried a new tactic. "Bad! Bad dog! Sit!"

When times get hard, sometimes friends turn against each other and this was the case now. Meeko grabbed hold of his friend, Flit the hummingbird, who was scolding him nearby and used him as a rapier against the angry hound. Percy would not be deterred.

"What are you doing? Meeko!" chided Pocahontas.

"Percy, get back here!" John ordered.

No good. Meeko's only option was to climb a vine where Percy couldn't follow. Percy was still barking, but Grandmother Willow was done with this ruckus. Her stern face appeared before the dog and she scowled. "Alright, that's enough!"

Percy's curly tail straightened at the unusual sight and he fainted into the water feeding Grandmother Willow's roots. He attempted to run in the air to escape when a vine wrapped around said appendage and brought him up to dry ground. He remained frozen in fear even after he was set down. The willow ignored him.

"Now then," she spoke to the humans. "There's something I want to show you. Look…"

A vine reached down and touched the surface of the water, causing a tiny disturbance. Fae knelt on the bank and studied it, trying to discern the hidden meaning. Pocahontas' eyes widened.

"The ripples…" she murmured.

"What about them?" John wondered.

"So small at first, then look how they _grow_," the willow pointed out and smiled to herself. "But _someone_ has to start them."

John understood, but still objected, "They're _not_ going to listen to us."

Grandmother Willow frowned. "Young man, sometimes the right path is not the easiest one." Her giant root underneath John rippled itself, sending him sliding down into the waiting arms of Pocahontas. "Don't you see? Only when the fighting stops can you be together."

Pocahontas smiled and John Smith's resistance melted. "Alright. Let's go talk to your father."

Her smile grew and she threw her arms around the man. Grandmother Willow smiled, too, and one of her vines tugged Fae a bit closer as the other tendrils surrounded her, Meeko, Percy, and Flit in a curtain of sorts, giving the couple some privacy. There was a comfortable silence for several moments. Then everything slid downhill too fast to counter.

The next sound they heard was not a happy one. A shrill battle cry shattered the loving stillness and with a gasp, Fae emerged from the vines to see Kocoum tackle John to the ground.

"Kocoum! No!" Pocahontas screamed.

But Kocoum would not be stopped. He was enraged by jealousy and with a knee to the white man's chest, he began trying to beat him to death with his hatchet. John wriggled underneath him, dodging the hits and stretching out to grasp a branch to defend himself with. He used it to catch Kocoum's next swing and throw his weight a new direction so that he could get his boot up under his attacker's chest and kick him over his head.

Still Kocoum did not give up. He had lost his hatchet in the fall, but he scrambled to his feet and drew his knife instead. John caught his wrists and tried to keep the blade at bay, but only succeeded in throwing off their balance. They fell to the ground once more and rolled several times, each trying to gain the upper hand until it was Kocoum who was successful.

Across the clearing, a figure ran toward the aid of his friend, struggling to get the powder into his musket.

Pocahontas grabbed Kocoum about the shoulders and endeavored to haul him off of her love. "Leave him alone!"

Kocoum shoved her away and she fell to the ground. Fae knelt to help her up. What else could she do? She certainly wouldn't do any better than Pocahontas at trying to move the warrior. Maybe if she got a good angle, she could use her light to break them up, but with how close they currently were, she couldn't do it without hurting them both, not to mention giving away her powers. How she wished that Riku hadn't gotten detained!

The figure across the clearing used his ramrod to push the musket ball into place.

Kocoum pushed with all his strength against John and inch by inch his knife came closer to piercing the pale opponent's throat. Pochontas grabbed the warrior again and together she and John got him pushed back a little more. Fae shook with worry. And then something shiny across the clearing caught her attention.

The figure took aim.

"No!" she shouted and moved to intercede.

"Both eyes open…" Thomas muttered and he pulled the trigger before Fae had even come a couple feet.

Fire spit from the barrel.

The fight came to an abrupt halt.

The cracking report of the rifle met their ears.

Kocoum inhaled a stunned breath and reached for Pocahontas as he fell backwards into in the willow's water source. He managed to grab the blue necklace that she wore on the way down and it snapped. Pocahontas gasped and dropped to her knees at his side. Fae let out a cry.

"Thomas!' John gaped, staggering to his feet.

"Is he—?" the boy stammered.

"You killed him…" Pocahontas said.

"I thought that—"

"Get away from him!" she ordered, standing to fight the poor boy.

John caught her, held her back. "Pocahontas, it won't help. He was only—"

"He killed him!" she yelled.

Thomas shuddered, his eyes looking horrified at what he had done. Shouts in the distance meant that people were coming to investigate the shot. If the bystanders didn't hurry, a blood bath would be started right then.

"Thomas, get out of here!" John barked. Thomas looked to his friend and then anxiously into the distance as the voices grew closer. His breathing quickened. "Get out of here!"

They all watched the frightened boy flee the scene. Indian battle cries filled the air and several warriors surged out from the trees to grab John Smith and lead him away by spear. Pocahontas and Fae had barely knelt at Kocoum's side before several more came to carry him to the village.

Fae and Pocahontas slowly followed after the procession, supporting each other all the way. Even Meeko took pity on the terrified Percy and led him along. Pocahontas' blue necklace stayed lying in pieces in the mud.

* * *

Riku plopped down on a stump and sighed, boredom taking hold of him. The Heartless didn't last, their numbers steadily dwindling to zero after the initial threat. It hadn't taken him long to dispose of them and now he was wishing he had gone with Fae.

His temperature flared at the remembrance of what had happened between them that night. What had he been planning on doing? Well, that much was obvious. He had almost succeeded if it hadn't been for—But why had he even tried? He hadn't known Fae that long and before she showed up at the Islands she had been working for their enemies.

But she didn't remember any of that now. She didn't reek of darkness, she didn't support the Organization, and she didn't have any recollection of the Replica and her feelings for him. She was a clean slate—fresh, pure, the way she should be. In fact, she was too untainted to get involved with him. He and his past would corrupt her, stain her new white canvas. He knew that. So why had he—He blamed it on the world. Its comforting atmosphere and the clothes they were forced to wear—it was a hormonal mess waiting to happen. He convinced himself of that…and forced himself not to think of the previous world or how seeing Axel around her made his hackles rise.

The warriors had run out of the village some time prior to inspect what sounded like a gunshot and now as Riku looked off toward the forest, the party was returning. However, unlike before their energy seemed to be lacking and as Riku stood in case they needed help with what they were carrying, he saw why. The bundle that they brought past him took the form of…Kocoum?

Riku inhaled sharply through his nose. By the sight of the warrior's arm dangling loosely in the air, it was apparent how lifeless he was. Riku's guts twisted, but he couldn't react beyond that as Fae suddenly burst from the tree line and latched onto his waist, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Fae, was that…? Was he really…?"

She smothered a sob. "They shot him, Riku."

So much for his resolution not to get involved. He wrapped his arms around her, helped her feel secure after the helplessness of not being able to stop the death. Feeling a person of the light pass was never a pleasant thing, but especially when they were so innocent. Being a Maiden, Riku was sure it hit Fae almost as hard as Pocahontas and the rest of the tribe.

The Chief's daughter spared them a glance as she followed the body of the man she was once meant to wed into the village. Riku limped Fae along after her and then they stood before the Great Powhatan as the body was presented to him. He looked horrified. Wails of mourning rose up into the night sky.

"Who did this?" he demanded over the lamenting.

"Pocahontas was in the woods," said one of the men holding John Smith. "Kocoum went to find her and this white man attacked them." He pulled their captive's head up by his hair to look into the eyes of their chief.

"Your weapons are strong," the Great Powhatan admitted, pointing a spear at John. "But now our anger is stronger. At sunrise, he will be the first to die!"

"But father…!" Pocahontas objected.

"I told you to stay in the village!" he reminded his daughter angrily. "You disobeyed me! You have _shamed_ your father!"

"I was only trying to help…"

"Because of your foolishness, Kocoum is dead!" He looked to Fae and Riku. "You said you would protect our village and our people. Who were you protecting when this happened? You are no longer welcome in my eyes!" With that he turned to go and told the warriors with the prisoner, "Take him away!"

Neither Riku nor Fae could understand the hurtful words, but they comprehended the meaning behind his angry tone. When the tribe left, they remained behind and sat on the ground beside the grieving Pocahontas. Nakoma approached and stood silently before them.

Pocahontas looked at her. "Kocoum was just coming to protect me."

"Pocahontas…I sent Kocoum after you," Nakoma confessed. The other looked at her with surprise. "I-I was worried about you." She dropped to her knees before them. "I-I thought I was doing the right thing."

"All this happened because of me," Pocahontas said. "And now I'll never see John Smith again." She glanced at her new friends. "And you must go without the news for your own chief. He will be disappointed as well and it's all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Riku told her.

"We'll worry about getting what we need another way," Fae assured her. "You have to help John Smith."

"But how?" she wondered and then asked Nakoma in their own tongue, "How can I fix what I've done?"

Nakoma frowned and then took her best friend's hand. "Come with me."

Fae and Riku watched the two walk away and then were startled by rustling in the bushes. A white duck and a brown dog with black spots appeared.

"Donald? Goofy?" Fae gasped, nearly smiling. At least they were alright.

Donald made sure the two natives were out of earshot before he said, "You've got to follow them and get back into the village."

"We've got trouble," Goofy added.

* * *

Violet tried once more to twist her wrists around to an angle where she could reach the bonds keeping her tied to a pole. Try as she might, though, she knew there was no point. With Cloud tied to the same pole with his back to her and without his sword, she knew they were stuck. A short while ago, a third person of light complexion joined their company, but he was in no better shape than they were. Well…at least she didn't have to run on her ankle anymore…

She sighed in frustration. "What do you think they're gonna do? Kill us?"

"Probably," said Cloud.

"That's what they've got planned for me at least," the other male responded.

"When?" Violet asked.

They both shrugged. She sighed again. How were they both so calm?

Voices outside the wigwam where the prisoners were being held alerted them that they were about to have some unexpected visitors, though they couldn't understand that it was Nakoma saying, "Pocahontas wants to look into the eyes of the man who killed Kocoum. Her friends wish to search for the enemy of their chief."

The guards granted them access and upon seeing two of her companions, Violet almost shouted with relief. Fae put a finger to her lips while Pocahontas blew past them to John Smith. Violet settled for smirking when they knelt beside her and Cloud.

"I knew the cavalry would come for us," she said.

Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Donald and Goofy saw you get taken here," Fae told them.

"I've never been more thankful for knowing those two," Violet breathed.

"But we can't get you out just yet," Fae whispered.

"Wh—?" Riku clapped a hand over Violet's mouth. When she calmed enough that he was sure she wouldn't yell, he allowed her to speak again. "Why the heck not?"

"Well, you ticked off the locals for one thing," Riku pointed out. "And we're on thin ice with them right now as it is."

"The Chief knows something about Nave, but the white men from the other camp killed one of his warriors while we were supposed to be protecting everyone. We have to get his trust back," explained Fae.

"By letting them kill _us_?" growled Violet. "I'm really glad you're my friends. Then I know who my enemies are, too."

Fae smiled. "I'm your friend?"

Violet looked away. "Don't have many suitable options, do I?"

"Pocahontas," Nakoma called through the flap, signaling it was time to leave.

Fae patted the two captives. "We'll free you in time. Don't worry."

As they walked to the edge of the village where they'd be out of the Chief's eyesight, Riku asked, "So did you think of a plan in there?"

Fae shook her head. "But we can't let them go to war. I don't care if I have to show my powers and disrupt the world order or just stand as a shield, I won't let them kill my friends."

* * *

The three friends at the white men camp were jolted from their sleep by a shout for help in the distance. Thomas ran into the fort breathless. Ben and Lon looked down from the guard post.

"Easy, lad, what is it?" Lon asked.

"It's Smith! They got him!" Thomas gasped.

"Who got him?" Ben asked.

"The savages!"

"Savages?" another man repeated in fear.

"They captured him! Dragged him off!"

"Where did they take him?" Ben prodded.

"They headed north." Thomas pointed in the direction he had stated and Axel met the eyes of Sora and Kairi. This was not going to end well. While the men pressed in for further details, the three travelers stepped aside.

"We need to get out of here," Axel said. "Our ships over that way. Maybe we can make an emergency departure and come back later."

"After they've killed each other?" snapped Kairi. "What good would that do?"

"We can't go to war," Axel insisted.

"We can't let them go either! Fae and Riku could be over there!"

"And maybe Cloud and Violet," added Sora.

"Maybe there's some way we can change their minds," suggested Kairi.

"I don't think so," muttered Axel, looking back at the provoked men.

"We've got to save him!" Thomas told the others. "He'd do the same for any of us."

"Thomas is right," Ben concurred. "We've got to _do_ something!"

"And so we shall!" declared the Governor above the throng. "I _told_ you those savages _couldn't_ be trusted." The men murmured that that was indeed true. "Smith tried to befriend them and look what they've done to him!" More utters of agreement came forth. "But now I say it's time to rescue our courageous comrade. At daybreak, we _attack_!"

The men yelled in one accord, picking up whatever they could use in defense. Ratcliffe climbed up to the guard post where all his men could see him and continued his tirade while his attendant helped him don his armor.

"What can you expect from filthy little heathens? Here's what you get when the races are diverse! Their skin's a hellish red. They're only good when dead. They're vermin, as I said, and _worse_! They're savages!"

"Savages!" echoed the men.

"Barely even human," railed Ratcliffe. "Drive them from our shore! They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil. We must sound the drums of war!"

As this the entire camp ran to get rifles, armor, cannons, and a few even brought out drums as the Governor had requested. With angry shouts of "Savages!" and "Dirty, shrieking devils!" and a heart racing tempo being played, the three out of place knew they'd have quite a job ahead.

* * *

Fae stood to her feet as a puff of red smoke erupted from the Indian camp. She hurried to the edge of the woods and climbed the nearest tree high enough to where she could see what was going on. The entire village had surrounded a bonfire, listening to what their Chief was shouting and watching the warriors prepare for battle.

"This is what we feared," said the Great Powhatan. "The pale face is a demon. The only thing they feel at all is greed."

"Beneath that milky hide, there's emptiness inside," the local medicine man encouraged the two men he was smearing face paint on.

"I wonder if they even bleed?" one sneered to the other.

"_They're_ savages!" a few more hollered above the war dance carrying on around the fire.

"Barely even human," the Chief agreed. "Killers at the core."

"They're different from us which means they can't be trusted," the medicine man warned.

"We must sound the drums of war!" announced the Chief, raising his battle club.

"First we deal with this one," a warrior told his companion about John Smith as they streaked orange and red paint on each other. "Then we sound the drums of war!"

The echoing beats of the drums playing for the war dance resounded all the way out to where Fae was perched on a branch. Riku came up beside her and surveyed the situation as well.

"We stepped in it big this time," he muttered.

* * *

"They're going to kill him at sunrise, Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas told her dearest friend, sitting hunched and defeated before the ancient tree.

"You have to stop them!"

"I can't…"

"Child, remember your dream?"

Pocahontas frowned. She had thought that her dream about the spinning arrow which suddenly stopped and pointed toward her destiny had been about John Smith. But now she was not certain at all.

"I was wrong, Grandmother Willow. I followed the wrong path. I feel so lost…" She bowed her head, on the verge of weeping.

Meeko the raccoon furrowed his fuzzy face in thought. Where had he last seen an arrow? Then it came to him. He had pilfered a trinket off of John Smith that could maybe help this situation. Climbing up to the hollow of his home in Grandmother Willow's trunk, he dug through his treasures until he found the one he was looking for—a compass. Upon finding it among the mounds of stolen objects (spoons, coins, a synthesis material he had seen fall from Sora's pocket when he went to the fort with John Smith), he slid down a vine and waved it in front of his human friend's face.

"The compass…" Pocahontas mumbled, recalling what John had called it when they caught Meeko lifting it from his satchel. Now she sat, turning it in her hands and searching for the intent behind it. Then she noticed the object in the center. "The spinning arrow…"

"It's the arrow from your dream!" Grandmother Willow said.

"I was right! It was pointing to him!" the Chief's daughter told her friends.

The arrow continued to spin in circles as she stood to her feet. A glare of light struck her peripheral vision.

"Sunrise…"

It's not too late, child!" Grandmother Willow urged. "Let the spirits of the earth guide you!"

Pocahontas turned toward the sunrise and that's when the compass struck due north and halted its spinning. It pointed in the direction of her village, the place where John Smith's execution was soon to take place.

"You _know_ your path, child! Now _follow_ it!"

* * *

The soldiers climbed to the top of a hill as the sun peeked over the horizon. Ratcliffe drew a sword from his hip and pointed it heavenward. "This will be the day! Let's go, men!"

"Wait! Wait!" Sora and Kairi protested as they were pushed back and forth by men with cannons who were determined to win this battle. They and Axel were bustled along as the line of men with muskets formed next and they had no choice but to trudge along unless they wanted to get trampled.

"We have to talk to someone who will listen," Kairi pleaded with Sora. "We have to stop them!"

"Yeah, but who?" the Keybearer inquired.

Ratcliffe was too engrossed in the darkness of greed in his heart to call off the attack now. Ben had been organizing the ranks and had shoved him off with "Go prepare, lad!" when Sora had approached him. Lon had been too busy handing out rifles. …A flash of a familiar hat caught his eye and Sora jogged to catch up to it.

"Thomas," he addressed when he reached the proper pace. "We've got to stop this. A lot of people could get hurt or killed and not just the warriors or the soldiers. I know they have John, but they probably have innocent women and children, too."

Thomas looked to his shoes. "But what can we do?"

* * *

"This will be the morning," spoke the Chief as he watched the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon. He turned to his warriors. "Bring out the prisoners!"

Violet passed Cloud a nervous look as they were cut loose and dragged to their feet. They were prodded along to the edge of the village by newly sharpened spears. Where was their rescue?

* * *

Pocahontas sprinted as fast as she could toward the village, an abundance of worry and adrenaline pumping endless energy through her.

"I don't know what I can do," she said to her animal friends running beside her. "Still I know I've got to try. Eagle, help my feet to fly!"

The wind whipping through her long black hair and pushing her along from behind helped quicken her pace. The terrain leveled out from hills to a grassy plain and she pushed herself even harder to run faster. Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest now.

"Mountain, help my heart be great!"

The ground tilted downhill again, making it easier for her to speed up, but also calm her breathing just a bit and give her heart a small reprieve at the same time. The rocky slope crumbled into a small crevice and she leapt over this with little effort. It was a familiar landmark. She was almost there. Just through the trees now…

"Spirits of the earth and sky, please don't let it be too late!"

* * *

Riku and Fae ran through the forest, too. Behind them, John Smith was being led from the village to a cliff where all who approached could see his demise. He was forced to bend over a boulder and the Chief was given his club. John was going to have his head crushed like a ripe melon and Cloud and Violet were next in line if they didn't find Pocahontas soon. If anyone could talk sense into the Great Powhatan, it would be his loving daughter. It was at that moment that something black and tan blitzed right past them, headed for the cliff at a speed that rivaled even them for the time being.

"Pocahontas!" Fae gasped. "She's running toward her father!"

"We have to stop the warriors then," Riku decided.

They sped after her back to the battleground and took a detour around the base of the cliff while Pocahontas ran up to the peak. They slipped right in between the opposing forces and spun to halt the natives, coming back-to-back with Axel, Sora, and Kairi in the process who were halting the soldiers. They echoed each other's commands of "Stop!" at the same time as Pocahontas shoved past the spectators on the cliff and threw herself over John Smith.

"If you kill him, you'll have to kill me, too!" Pocahontas told her father through ragged breath.

"Daughter, stand back," the Chief ordered.

"I won't!" Pocahontas yelled, and then much gentler, "I love him, father."

Her father was taken aback. All of the rest of her audience silenced and gaped in shock when she repeated the phrase "I love him" again in a language the others could understand. A select few smiled, but Pocahontas still had something to say to all.

"Look around you. This is where the path of hatred has brought us!" She leaned down over John, protecting his vital areas with her torso. "This is the path I choose, father. What will yours be?"

The Chief's eyes grew large at his daughter's words and he considered carefully. Each side was ready to fight. The soldiers had muskets raised, the Indians had arrows strung, and standing between them were their young visitors—willing to die to stop what was not their fight. A calming wind blew over all of them and the Great Powhatan closed his eyes, listening to what it had to say while everyone looked on expectantly.

Some began to relax, a few weapons lowered. Then the Chief lowered his club, altered his grip, and held it up parallel to the ground as a sign of peace.

"My daughter speaks with a wisdom beyond her years. We have all come here with anger in our hearts! But she comes with courage and understanding. From this day forward, if there is to be more killing, it will not start with me." That proclamation made, he lowered his club completely and allowed John Smith to go free, ordering a nearby warrior, "Release him."

The ropes were cut on all the prisoners and Pocahontas stood to hug her love. The soldiers lowered their guns, the Indians their bows. But someone was not quite so pleased.

"Now's our chance! Fire!" cried Governor Ratcliffe.

Thomas stepped forward, joining his newfound friends in ending the fighting. "No!"

"What?"

"They let him go!" Thomas reminded him.

"They don't _want_ to fight," Ben inputted.

"It's a trick, don't you see?" Ratcliffe raved. "Fire!"

More soldiers joined Thomas at his side, but Ratcliffe was not willing to let them stop him. He snatched a rifle from a soldier's hands. "_Fine_! I'll handle this _myself_!" He raised the gun and took aim.

Riku followed the barrel to its intended target. "Chief Powhatan!"

"Look out!" cried Fae.

"_No!_" rang out only seconds before the Chief was shoved out of the line of fire and a shot exploded through the moment of peace. Someone else took the hit.

"John!" Thomas yelled. Ratcliffe blanched. "You shot him!"

"He stepped right—right into it," the Governor stammered. "It's his own fault."

"Smith was right all along!" said Ben.

Lon scowled. "We never should have listened to you!"

The soldiers rushed forward and took hold of their former leader. Thomas apprehended the gun. "Put him in chains!"

Ratcliffe got into his face. "I'll see you all _hanged_ for this!"

"And gag him as well!"

Sora smiled in approval at how well Thomas had taken charge, but it quickly faded when he remembered that Cloud and Violet had almost died. He knew they were going to be in for quite the grilling. He reluctantly followed Thomas, Fae, Axel, and Riku up the cliff to handle the explosion that was about to happen.

* * *

Axel had taken everyone from his team back to the Gummi ship when Violet started ripping them all new ones. Fae and Riku had stayed behind since they still had some unfinished business. Once John Smith was in stable condition thanks to the local medicine man (and a bit of potion while he was unconscious), Fae and Riku were invited back into the village for a meeting with Chief Powhatan before the Indians departed to give the soldiers returning to England a farewell.

They found themselves in the familiar atmosphere of the longhouse on the soft animal hides with the Chief sitting before them and Pocahontas at their side as the translator. Now the air about them was comfortable rather than skeptical and calculating. The Chief smiled as he spoke.

"Thank you for helping my daughter to show us the light," Pocahontas interpreted. "You saved many lives. You are always welcome in our tribe." The two smiled and nodded their acceptance of the privilege. "I gave you my word that I would speak and now I will. Several nights before John Smith and his men arrived, a wicked spirit visited me. He was shrouded in shadow and had those dark creatures at his side. He told me not the call the warriors for they would be easily defeated by the monsters and the pale visitors who were to come. But he said that I should not fear. More guests would come of the same color who could defeat the shadows and save the village. I thought he spoke of those of the same color as us, but now I see he was meaning those of the same color as them. A boy with hair like mountains, one who glowed like fire, and a third pale like the moon's light would be our rescue."

Pocahontas and Fae giggled. The Chief smiled. Riku looked down at his knees, trying not to appear embarrassed.

The Great Powhatan continued, "When I saw you all standing together in the middle of our war, I knew his word to be true. He said that when these ones came and saved the people, I should give them this message:

_Where light is restored, dark is yet there  
__Where what once was is now again  
__For the Middle Path Warrior a nightmare  
__For three of the past, where it all began_

_Sleep is eternal under the spell of a spinning wheel cursed  
__But no longer as her heart has returned  
__A marriage is on the horizon, but trouble comes first  
__I wonder if you can catch me before all is burned?_

Riku sported a deep frown. "The Middle Path Warrior? You're sure he said that?"

Pocahontas questioned her father and he nodded a confirmation. Riku stood and everyone else followed suit. The Chief stepped around the fire and laid a hand on his and Fae's shoulders.

"You will find him. But do not let the shadow of hatred and despair creep into your hearts. You will need to hold onto the courage you had here. Thank you for showing that to us, my son, my daughter. And tell your chief my thank you for sending you to us."

With that, he presented them two fur blankets and four large baskets of fresh vegetables and salted meat that could feed them both for at least a week. With their crew, it would not last that long, but they were still grateful and expressed it before Chief Powhatan sent them on their way.

Pocahontas walked them to the edge of the village, but would go no further as she had to prepare to take John Smith to his ship. Today was a sad day for her. She was losing many new friends and loved ones all at once, but still she was able to manage a smile and a hug to accompany the goodbye she gave each of them. When she turned to go back to her people, the rest of the tribe were standing outside their homes, men, women, and children all shouting farewells. Nakoma was standing in the foreground with a peculiar smile on her face.

"Pocahontas!" the two called after her.

She turned. They carefully set their gifts down and then performed the traditional goodbye they had learned from Nakoma that morning. Moving their right hands in arcs in front of their chests, they spoke the word, "Ana."

The tribe laughed and cheered. Pocahontas smiled with tears in her eyes and watched them depart. Fae and Riku picked up their gifts and disappeared into the hidden pine trails, off to find their next destination.

* * *

Kateracks: Holy crap! That chapter was outrageous! Sorry about that. I'm not even going to put anything extra here.

Arait: But don't forget to please review!

Laters!


	22. Chapter 22

Kateracks: I know, I know! It's been FOREVER! This chapter was giving me SO much trouble. Obviously. Seven months...again. I'm terrible. But I'm still determined to finish this story. I'm hoping in maybe four or five more chapters. I was planning on using more worlds, but it's turning into such a monstrosity that I decided not to. I felt like I could do so much more with this story than I did and I think at this point, it just deserves a good ending. I hope I still have someone who wants to read it. So since I took so long (again), I'm just going to go into the chapter.

Arait: So sorry. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** We've been working our butts off, but after seven months of slavery...no we still don't own anything. :(

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

It had been a while since Riku had driven a Gummi Ship, but just like many other things in life, it came back to him in a snap. It was just like swimming or rowing; like the first time he had used the darkness after trying to avoid it as long as possible. He just fell into it with little effort and it had felt right, being so easy. Like every time he used his Keyblade, no matter how long in between, he could pick it up like he had never stopped because it was a part of him. And that was scary.

Sometimes it was exhilarating, but at the same time terrifying. What was even more terrifying, though, was how easily he had let it happen. And even now, he could still feel a shadow lingering with him, darker and longer and more powerful than his very own, and it followed him everywhere he went.

He blinked, drawing himself from his thoughts. _How had he gotten so off track with his musings?_ He made a small correction with his knee, that being all that he was using to steer. He had said it was easy. Of course, he couldn't assume the proper brooding stance if he had to have his hands on the wheel instead of crossed over his chest.

He had been given the night shift and he had accepted since he was very well aware that he wouldn't be sleeping. Still he rubbed a thumb and forefinger into his eyes sockets out of tiredness—mental more than physical. He knew where they were going.

_For the Middle Path Warrior, a nightmare..._ He already lived one nightmare so the only other option would be to find the one who had started it all. That, and he was sure he had heard that story before... _Under the spell of a wheel cursed..._

Maleficent had told him that was how she had collected Aurora. It had only left him with five other Princesses of Heart to find aside from Kairi. But in that way, he had never visited the witch's home world and he didn't have any more that a general idea of where to look. After all, he was sure the riddle couldn't have been talking about Radiant Garden, formerly Hollow Bastion. They had already been there and from what they could tell, from the state of the castle there, it was still not being used.

He felt a presence behind him and Axel came around to slump into the co-pilot chair. Riku eyed him for an explanation of why he was up so late. From what he could tell (not much since the pyro was laying sideways with his knees over the armrest nearest Riku), he didn't look sick. Maybe it was hunger. That was the only reason Sora ever got up after he went to bed.

"Can't sleep?" he ventured after a while.

Axel shook his head...or Riku assumed he did. There was some movement behind his long shanks. There was silence for a while and then at length Axel asked, "Something on your mind?"

"_Me?_" Riku responded. "You're wandering aimlessly in the middle of the night."

Axel sighed and dropped one leg so that his foot could reach the floor to swivel the chair. "Same as you—the past."

"What about it?" Riku asked nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just been contemplating his dark demise.

Axel knew better. "Don't play dumb. I know you were just thinking about all your past adventures in the darkness. Those fading creases in your forehead are proof of that. You're going to have wicked frown lines when you get older, you know?"

Riku rubbed at the mentioned area, but it didn't help the frown. "What do you know?"

"You forget who I worked for, man? The group that snooped through your best friend's memories and copied all of yours into a puppet...? I know how you got your beginning." Riku's facial expression progressed into a glare. "Hey, I'm not one to judge. I've always been nothing but a double agent."

Riku made another directional adjustment with his knee. "At least you're working for our side now. One less freak in a black coat I have to worry about."

Axel grunted. "Yeah...one less..." He stared blankly out into the endless abyss of space.

"So you're reminiscing," Riku commented sarcastically.

"Something like that," Axel confirmed. "I bet you're being more productive, though. You know where we're going yet?"

"Taking a trip into the past, isn't that what you're thinking?"

Axel gave him a cocky smirk. "Oh, you know me so well, Keybearer. Which memory are we visiting?"

Riku didn't answer. His eyes stayed forward and tried to melt a hole through the thick glass that protected them from the vacuum of space. Axel waited as patiently as he could, but when it became apparent that Riku would rather ignore the issue, he couldn't help himself. He did _so_ love to watch the Keyblader squirm.

"What, is it a surprise?"

Riku released a slow, controlled breath. "Maleficent."

Surprised showed on Axel's face and he sat upright. "_That_ witch?"

"What?" Riku speculated.

"She's the one who hired Nave to collect Fae and Violet in the first place! He's leading us right to her!"

"So?"

"_So?_ Do you want them to get taken?"

"Do you think they'll actually be there this time? I mean, last I saw Maleficent, she was going up against a never ending swarm of Heartless..."

Axel settled back into his seat. "Well, wouldn't that be just peachy? We'd get a break."

Riku scoffed. "Yeah right."

Axel grinned. "But it won't take as long because you know what we're looking for, right?" There was silence. "Right?"

"Not exactly."

Axel gaped. "And you scolded _me_ for wandering aimlessly? Are you just planning to search the whole universe?"

"No..."

"So you do have a clue?"

Riku closed his eyes and sighed. "I've never been there. She never mentioned anything about whatever dark hole she spawned from. But I just have a feeling, like some part of me still knows."

"Yeah...that's pretty weird..." drawled Axel.

Riku glared at him. "Why am I even talking to you?"

Axel nudged Riku's chair with his foot. "'Cause deep down you know you like having me around." Riku rolled his eyes and the pyro stood. "I said it was weird, but this isn't the first time it's happened. Just make sure that feeling doesn't take us in circles. I'm gonna resume my wandering."

Axel left the cockpit with a smug look on his visage, but it slowly settled into a contemplative frown. What was the point in leading them to Maleficent's home world? _No one is pulling the strings now. You want to keep that heart, I suggest you work for the stronger side. _So would he really be there? Would this be the place where it would all come tumbling down? These heroes were up against much more than they thought they were.

"Hey Axel."

He forced himself not to jump and wheeled around to find Fae curled up in one of the bay windows, head leaned against the glass toward the stars, but she was looking at his reflection.

"Hey," he replied and moved to continued on his way.

"Where are you off to?"

"Nowhere."

Fae smiled. "This late? Would you like some company?"

"Actually I think I'm gonna head to bed."

Fae frowned and muttered, "Are you avoiding me, too?"

Axel's steps faltered. "What?"

"You've been staying as far away from me as possible ever since Balto's world and Riku hasn't wanted to be near me since..." She paused and put her hand over the hot portion of her neck that was a blush threatening to flame its way up to her face.

Axel grinned. "Since what?"

"Nothing."

The pyro snickered. "Well I've been giving him a fighting chance. Glad to know he finally made a move. I was getting impatient."

Fae looked down at her black shoes. "You're making fun of me."

"No, I was making fun of him. Mr. Big Bad Keyblade Bearer can't find the guts to tell a girl how he feels about her. He and his best friend are more alike than he wants to admit." He chuckled and took a seat at Fae's feet in the window. "Look, Maiden, let me explain something to you. You weren't in on it, not that you'd remember if you had been, but the Organization spent a lot of time studying these two kids. Riku is a runner."

"I've never seen Riku run from anything."

"Not like that?. He plays tough and in a lot of things, he is. He'll stand and fight for what he believes in and he'll do anything it takes to protect his friends. But when something comes along that's new and unusual and not included in his plans, he doesn't know what to do with it. So he doesn't. He tries to put it behind himself. Some of us were born for certain things. Riku was born to leave."

Fae felt her heart sink. "Then it's me who needs the fighting chance, isn't it?"

"I didn't say that. You, my fair Maiden, were born to balance light and dark—people like Riku. But if that's the kind of person you want to go after then you've got quite a job ahead of you. You've got to be willing to wait. You might still need to be prepared to fight, too."

He patted her knee and stood. Fae watched him head off to the boys' cabin and wondered what Axel was born for and if he was right that Riku would leave soon. Axel was wondering when he became everyone's relationship counselor.

* * *

Riku was roused from sleep by the sound of a good-natured argument on where to land the Gummi Ship now that they had reached their destination. Donald thought that they should get right down to finding Nave at the dark castle on one side of the world. Sora, being the friendly social butterfly that he was, wanted to first visit the cheerful castle on the other side that he knew was home to some acquaintances of his. Donald, Axel, Violet, and Cloud were tied with Sora, Kairi, Fae, and Goofy.

"Riku, what do you think we should do?" Sora addressed his best friend.

He didn't want to have the final say. He was having mixed feelings as well. Part of him just wanted to go to Maleficent's castle and get it over with, and another part of him wanted to put it off as long as possible.

"Fae wants to meet Aurora," Kairi informed him. Fae nodded her agreement.

Though his insides clenched at the thought of seeing one of the women whose heart he had helped exploit, he couldn't deny them. Sore and Kairi's pouts, Fae's gentle smile, Goofy's...well, being Goofy—they eventually beat out his apprehension. He conceded.

"It would probably be a good idea to make sure the Princess of Heart is safe first."

Axel rolled his eyes. "We've been doing so well so far. Kairi almost got eaten by a bear _and_ slaugtered in a war."

"Just land," Riku ordered.

* * *

They found a place to park the ship in a lush green clearing of a forest dividing the two territories. From where they were, it was a short walk to the light castle's gates. Contrary to what they had been expecting, there were no carriages packing the bridge up to the castle, no citizens camping near the gates for that perfect moment to make their entrance, no knights on horses running to and fro giving directions.

Within the gates it was just as empty. There were no swarms of people trying to crowd inside, no nobles enjoying the blooming gardens, no band playing to entertain guests. A few lone banners waved a colorful greeting to them. Even the birds refused to sing, instead examining the guests with frightened and curious eyes.

"Not exactly what I'd expect a royal wedding to be like," Sora remarked.

"Feels more like a—a...um..."

"Funeral?" Axel finished for Donald.

Goofy put his hand to his mouth as if to prevent his words of concern to be true. "D'ya think we're too late?"

Donald stamped a webbed foot. "No, no, no! Don't say that! They're probably just preparing inside."

With that, he picked up a brisk waddle to the throne room, hoping that he didn't find a bunch of the guests as minions of the dark. The others followed along behind at a slower pace, Violet commenting, "I don't think charging into someone else's castle uninvited is a smart idea."

Ahead of them, a startled "Wak!" had them jogging to catch up with their feathered friend. Donald had made his way to the throne room, and as he stood in the doorway, his traveling companions caught up to him to see the swords pointed at him. The rest of them threw their hands up in a sign of peace too.

"Told ya," Violet grumbled.

"At ease, men," an authoritative voice commanded.

The vocalization was followed by the appearance of a brown haired male adorned in a gray shirt, black pants, and a regal red cape—Prince Philip. Beside him was the one they had come to see—a long-haired blonde in a royal blue gown, bright blue eyes sparkling, and cherry red lips pulled into a smile at the sight of them.

The weapons were lowered and all of the travelers slowly filed into the huge hall to greet the future king and queen. All of them, that is, except Riku who stayed back in the shadows of one of the monoliths. There he could listen without drawing attention to himself.

"These are our highly esteemed guests," Aurora added to the prince's words. She stepped forward and embraced Kairi and all of the arms-bearing knights released sighs of relief.

"Aurora, we brought some guests we thought you should meet," Kairi said as they parted and she gestured to the two other women present. "This is Fae and Violet. They are Maidens of the World."

"Maidens?" Aurora wondered aloud.

Kairi nodded. "Like predecessors to the Princesses of Heart." She looked at her friends. "Maybe more like compliments. They're supposed to help keep the balance of light and dark, but on a wider scale. The Maidens were chosen and trained for their duties before the worlds were forced to separate. After that the Princesses of Heart were formed because the Maidens can't keep the balance until they find a source of darkness to bind with. The Princesses can use their lights to fight the darkness at any time."

Aurora acquired a thoughtful expression. Her husband-to-be had also overheard the conversation and he suggested to his bride, "Could that be why there is the sudden dark presence?"

"Is that why everyone's so uptight?" Sora asked, still watching the guards cautiously.

"Yes," answered the Prince. "Not long after our wedding announcement, a dark cloud spread over Maleficent's old castle."

"It's lain dormant for so long that the unexpected change frightened everyone. They're all so scared to leave their homes because of the Heartless that no one has told us they're coming to the ceremony," Aurora explained sadly.

"Heartless?" squawked Donald.

Sora glanced back at Riku. "Has anyone seen who's been commanding them? A guy by the name of Nave maybe?"

Aurora and Philip shrugged and the Princess went on, "That's part of what seems to be frightening everyone. There doesn't seem to be any origin other than the castle which has only recently begun to fill up with Heartless. They stay in the darkness and no dark beings have been out terrorizing the land, yet even some of our wedding planners have fled, leaving us with last minute preparations."

Everyone knows how Sora doesn't like to see his friends sad. So it's no surprise that when he saw Aurora's frown, he volunteered, "We'll help any way that we can."

"We will?" Axel repeated, though Sora didn't listen to him. Riku smirked from the shadows while his friend continued to try to solve the problem.

"What kind of things still need to be done?"

"That's very kind of you, Sora, but it's not necessary—" Aurora began, but the Keybearer was determined to make her smile.

"We want to help."

"We do?" Violet uttered to Cloud.

"Well, there's really only a few things left," said Aurora. "The cake, the decorations and..."

"The music selection for the orchestra," finished the Prince.

"Done," said Sora.

"Hey!" snapped Violet and she spun him to face her. "Really? Do I have to remind you that we're here on an important matter? Not to play wedding planner!"

Fae blushed at her friend's not-so-discreet whispering. "Not that your wedding isn't an important matter," she assured the royalty.

Sora slumped and then remembered that he still had an ace in the hole. "Donald and Goofy have been to a lot of royal ceremonies, right guys?"

Donald glared at him. He knew where this was going. Goofy didn't seem to mind as he happily started listing, "Well, sure, there was the Homecoming for the King, the Knighting Ceremony, the Anniversary Banquet for the King and Queen..."

"So you know how stuff should be arranged?" Sora interrupted.

"Wait a minute!" Donald quacked in protest. "We need to find Nave and the next clue!"

"Aw, come on, Donald," Goofy said, patting his downy friend. "This is a one-time supplication!"

"Occasion," Donald corrected.

"They really need some help," Sora urged.

"This is the most important day of their lives," Kairi added. Donald frowned at the discouraged couple and his protests became quieter. They ceased altogether when Kairi offered, "I'll stay to help if you do."

Donald sighed in defeat. "Aw...okay..."

Aurora clapped in joy and kissed Donald on the cheek to show her gratitude. Unlike him, though, Violet was not about to offer her services. "Don't bother asking me, Kairi. I'm not a fancy occasion kind of girl. I don't even plan what I'm going to have for breakfast."

At first Kairi looked down by the words, but she quickly replaced that expression with one of confidence. "It's okay. I'm sure we can handle it."

"You're one of those girls that's been planning her wedding since you were old enough to play dress-up, huh?" Violet guessed.

Kairi blushed, but did not disagree and instead ushered her partners in planning out of the room.

"While they're doing that, we'll make it safe for the guests," Sora decided.

Philip agreed that this was a good idea and explained to them the best path to take to Maleficent's castle before sending them on their way. As they filed out of the room, Aurora approached a certain Keybearer trying to sneak from behind a pillar and duck out of the room without being noticed. She didn't allow it.

"You're Riku, aren't you?"

_So she remembered him._ He tried not to appear defeated when he replied, "Yeah."

She smiled softly. "I'm so glad you're alright. I know we never really met, but I feel as though you remind me of someone."

Riku forced himself to asked, "Really? Who?" out of courtesy more than curiosity. He couldn't rightly just walk out from mid-conversation with the Queen-to-be. That would be rude. But what would her answer be? He felt almost certain she'd say Ansem, though he sincerely hoped she wouldn't.

She surprised him when she shook her head with uncertainty, replying, "I'm not sure, but I just have this feeling..."

Riku's brow drew together thoughtfully, but before he could inquire any further about this mysterious feeling, the voice of his best friend called through the door, "Riku, you coming?"

Sora had become much more watchful over him since they had returned from their last adventure. He didn't wander much further than ear shot if he knew Riku was going to be left alone (and if it wasn't Kairi Time), as if he thought Riku might suddenly disappear again. And why wouldn't he be worried? _It was amazing how the tables could change. Not too long ago, he was the one always watching over them and worrying..._

Aurora smiled kindly. "We can talk more later. I do hope you will return for the ceremony."

Riku nodded and made his exit before he had to make any commitments.

* * *

They left behind the cheerful castle in silence and followed the bridge back to the clearing where they had left the Gummi Ship. Wandering the game trails the other direction took them deeper into the forest. The chirping of the birds, the babble of the streams and lakes, even the sun died out as they progressed. The warmth Fae had felt upon entering was slowly being replaced by a creeping chill as they came closer to the evil forces. Sora, Axel, and Cloud became more alert. Violet unknowingly walked the slightest bit closer to the latter. Riku could sense the air get thicker, could smell the influence of darkness, and feel his muscles coiling, his nerve processing speed up.

The ground gradually began to climb upward as they went and the trees became fewer as they moved further and further from water sources. Eventually they stepped out of the forest altogether and under a stone arch to what was the most desolate portion of the world. The sky transformed into a dingy gray and the cushiony grass beneath their feet turned to harsh stone. The comforting atmosphere gave way to nothingness, a vast and empty expanse of open air only filled with a jagged, thin snake of a trail up to a dark castle on the horizon, emanating a sinister green glow around its drawbridge and all the way up to its claw-like towers.

Sora looked over the edge of the path and shrank back a little at the sight of the spires of rock looking up at him from the unseen canyon floor. "That's a long way down," he chuckled nervously, knowing a drop would mean certain death.

Axel slapped him on the back hard enough to make him jump and then grabbed his shoulder so he wouldn't go over. "Don't worry, Roxas, I got your back."

"That doesn't make me feel less worried," the Keybearer kidded, a bit of his other personality showing to those who knew about it.

"What?"

"Come on," Sora laughed and walked out onto the trail.

As they moved toward the castle, however, the fears of the townsfolk showed themselves. Every few yards Heartless would appear, little ones at first and gradually becoming more powerful. Sora finished off two last Soldiers and let his Keyblade fade so he could rest his hands behind his head.

"At least we know for sure that somebody's at this castle," he remarked. "And it's good practice for Fae and Violet."

"Please," scoffed Violet. "You keep pitting us against the weakest ones. How am I supposed to learn anything? Where's the challenge?"

In front of them, four of the larger and more rotund breeds appeared: Large Bodies. "They're a little more work," said Sora.

Violet stepped forward. "I got this. Stand back."

Fae didn't agree. "There's four of them. I'm helping."

Violet didn't argue, nor did she give the other a chance to get the first hit in either. She ran into the fray and hurled a ball of light at the nearest Heartless. She ducked shortly thereafter when it ricocheted back and almost took her own head off.

Sora smiled knowingly. "Get behind him!"

"How?" Fae cried as she ran out of attack range of one who tried to belly flop on her.

"Duck!" Sora shouted as two of the Heartless swung their arms out at Violet and Fae. "Left!" The Heartless attempted to use their bellies to bump the girls, but they were out of the way thanks to Sora's instruction and the two creatures collided and knocked each other over. "Get him!" The two Maidens wove behind the beings and blasted their vulnerable backsides with a healthy does of light. They exploded in a puff of black smoke. The two females high-fived.

"Rinse and repeat!" called Axel.

"I got it!" Violet yelled.

In the same fashion, Violet taunted the third Heartless into trying to belly flop on her. She darted around behind as it was picking itself up off of the ground and disposed of it with a bright beam. She turned to her audience proudly.

"You see that?"

They saw it. And they saw when the fourth opponent noticed she had taken her eyes off of him. They had a clear view when she came flying toward them after it charged into her with its blimp-like stomach. Sora, however, took the fall as she crashed into him and they rolled over the edge of the land bridge.

Sora gripped with all his might to the rough rock with one hand while Violet dangled precariously from his other. Fae hurried to exterminate the Large Body before he decided to add Axel and Cloud to the party as they went to help. Riku stood guard for any other surprises.

Axel seemed less than concerned as he poked fun as the Keyblade Master's misfortune, and Sora himself didn't appear all that shaken up as he came to solid ground. He smiled over as Cloud pulled Violet up.

Violet glared in response. Fae laughed. Off to one side with a silent smile, Riku suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. He spun and looked up to the castle suspiciously. _There. In that upper window. Was that a pointy headed shadow with a staff?_

"You okay, Riku?" Sora asked, taking note of his friend's rigid posture.

He turned to Sora and then looked back. The silhouette was gone. "Yeah. Let's keep moving."

They progressed their way up the path and to the front entrance, but it was blocked from the other side. They tried shoving and kicking and hacking, but the doors would not give way so they moved around the outer courtyard to the rear of the castle where there was a large crack in the wall that they could slip through. It looked as though it had been abandoned for quite some time. The rock and mortar was wearing away on the walls to the point that holes had appeared, even in the ceiling. Structures had slowly crumbed into unrecognizable piles over time. Entire staircases had collapsed.

However, venturing further into the immense structure showed that it was not totally abandoned. Heartless wandered the rooms with no worries of destruction, as if they were being born there. And who was to say they weren't? Though they were alerted immediately when the travelers entered the castle, Riku still felt like they were being watched by more than just Heartless. And that's when he looked up to the top of a winding staircase where there was a platform that had once held a special purpose. Right now it held a familiar figure in a long, black cape and a glowing green scepter.

Keyblade in hand, he sped up the stairs and once nearly at the top, leaped high into the air so he could bring his blade forcefully down onto his enemy. "Gotcha!" he cried.

There was no gasp of surprise, no scream of pain. The only response his actions got him was the startled kawing of a crow as it flapped frantically toward the escape of one of the holes in the ceiling, leaving a trail of severed tail feathers behind. Riku stared in confusion at where he was sure he had seen the witch and then up at the bird, breathing hard.

"Riku?" Sora asked quietly from behind him. "Are you okay?"

"I saw her," he muttered, staring at the black feathers on the ground.

"Who?" Axel asked.

"Maleficent."

Sora and exchanged glances with the others. "Riku, you were up all night piloting the ship. Maybe you should sit down for a minute."

Riku stood motionless for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"But Riku..."

He allowed his Keyblade to dissolve and gave the unconvincing assurance, "I'm fine. Must have just been a trick of the light. Let's go." Sora looked after him with concern and then followed his best friend back down the stairs.

* * *

They were forced into battle after battle as they moved from the outer rooms of the castle and into the innermost chambers. The dark beings there were of little consequence, but somewhere hiding within was one more dangerous who had them under control. In fact, as they gained ground on the master, the Heartless moved in a more intelligent manner and in greater numbers.

The otherworlders had found themselves moving downward into the deepest chambers, but they couldn't turn around now with the hoards of Heartless pushing at their backs. Their only hope of getting out was to move from the back of the castle through its dark depths, and to the front entrance to see if they could unblock it, taking out the master along the way.

Sora, Riku, and Cloud slashed down yet another staircase while the girls and Axel fought the waves off of their backs. As they reached the bottom, though, they ran out of floor. Sora jumped to the next level down where a hall continued and waved to the rest of them that the coast was clear...for now. Riku ushered the girls forward.

"You can probably slide down here," he told them, indicating where the wall had fallen off to the side of the stairs.

Fae stepped over the edge and leaned back, half sliding, half scooting down to the solid floor on her haunches. Violet snorted at the display, climbed partway down what was left of the supports and dropped the rest of the way. She smirked at Fae and dusted her hands; the other rolled her eyes. The boys followed in short order, but it was too late. Before they could reach the next hall, they were surrounded.

Sora tapped Riku. "We can handle this."

Riku smirked. "Eternal Session?"

Their nods of agreement to each other set off the attack. Sliding around, over, and under each other in what appeared to be a mess of movement turned into a lethal dance of sorts. While the Heartless couldn't focus on just one of them for the speed, they were left open to the swift cuts of the duel Keyblades, slashing the swarm down quickly. The next group of creatures was brought to dwindling numbers after a barrage of fireballs from a boy on either side of them and any stragglers were met their end in the flashy and totally deadly end of the attack. Sora and Riku joined the powers of their Keyblades together to create one large one that could sweep wave after wave of Heartless into oblivion and that finally was followed by each boy moving to opposite sides of the battlefield with their own Keyblade and aiming a light cannon of sorts through the rest of the enemies. The boys met proudly in the middle, knocking knuckles in congratulations. They hadn't forgotten a thing after all this time.

"Wow!" Fae gasped when all the Heartless had evaporated into the air.

"Yeah, yeah," Axel butted in. "Fist bumps all around. Let's go. There are more coming."

They rushed up the next stairway, heading toward the smell of fresh air again. Unfortunately, the Heartless had reconvened rather quickly and were already gaining on them quickly. The stairs ended just in time as Axel whipped around and commanded a wall of fire up from the floor and sent it down the stairs toward their adversaries. He turned when there were some screeches of creatures of the dark being burned alive. His self-satisfied smirk then faded into a frown at the vast room before them, containing a rainbow of circular lights spread out in a grid-like pattern. As they took a few steps forward and walls sprang up on either side of them, created by the magic of another.

"I guess that answers whether there's somebody else here with us," Axel scowled.

* * *

Kateracks: There it is! Just in time for the Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance to come out! I ordered mine online so I could get the AR cards so it took longer to get here. I have it now, though and I'm SO stoke to start it! I'm an extreme nerd. Lol.

Arait: Embrace the power of the nerd.

Kateracks: Exactly. Okay, so I divided this chapter into two sections again because it was getting much too long for one chapter. Don't worry, it shouldn't take nearly as long to get the second installment up. I already have it mostly written and I just need to type it and flesh it out.

Arait: Sorry for any grammatical errors. This was done using a typing program that doesn't always do the squigglies to remind us of mistakes. I tried to catch them.

Kateracks: Again, sorry for the horrific wait on this one. But what great timing! Happy gaming! And remember to Please Review! I'd like to see who's still reading this.

Laters!

~K&A


	23. Chapter 23

Kateracks: Please don't shoot me. I know I keep lying to you, but four months isn't so bad!

Arait: (Holding a frying pan and standing in front of an angry mob)

Kateracks: You're supposed to be on my side!

Arait: Post, you disgrace to authors!

Kateracks: Okay…

**Disclaimer:** Nope. I've made many important purchases as of late, but that was not one of them.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

Riku was the first to step into the only available circular light (a soft blue color), sensing that it led to something sinister. As he did so, his body tingled and he felt a swift pull. The doorway and his friends disappeared from behind him and everything rotated so that he was at one of the side walls, the room stretching out before him, a vast empty space of various colored spots of light. It was empty save one soul, a familiar but contemptible soul donned in a long black cloak and holding a scepter topped with a green globe.

"Maleficent!" he spat heatedly.

"Surprised, my boy?" she sneered. "You led them to my domain."

"_You_ led us here," he argued.

"Me? Don't be foolish, Riku, you know I did no such thing. It was your heart that brought you here."

"You lured it."

"No, my dear, your heart felt the darkness as you drew near and it longer for it. It needed a place to immerse itself again, to sooth the searing burn from your dwelling in the light. Do not try to incriminate me for what you know to be true. You wanted to come."

"No!"

"Yes. You have been missing the calm of the darkness. You know as well as I that you have been agitated with no relief since you left us."

"Shut up!" Riku barked and drew Way to the Dawn. He charge the witch and swung a few times, each swing being blocked by her staff and then she stepped back and disappeared, her cackles echoing around the large room. Riku grit his teeth and then he spied the second light. It was orange. He hesitated only a second and then stepped into it, chasing after her.

* * *

Violet squinted at the sudden burst of light when she stepped into the portal after Riku and the unexpected shuttle to a new corner of the massive room. When everything came back into focus, it looked pretty much the same and Fae was still standing in front of her appearing equally unimpressed. But…

"Where'd everybody else go?" she questioned.

There was silence. Fae remained completely motionless. Violet cocked a brow and curiously stepped up behind her.

"Are you okay?"

When there was still no answer, she laid her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. Then she jerked it back like she had just been burned. The other was stone cold.

"Fae?"

The body before her shook slightly with a spine-tingling chuckle and then it whipped around to face Violet, hissing viciously. Violet stumbled backward, strangling a cry. The critter before her was dressed in Fae's clothes and took Fae's form, but the normally pale skin was blackened, hands produced claws, grey eyes shone with a yellow glint, and the blonde highlights had given way to inky black, floating about the red in wisps like smoke in a nonexistent breeze. Whatever this thing was, it certainly did not look like it would have Fae's kindness anymore either. That was made even clearer when it lunged at her and took a swipe at her head.

"Fae don't make me hurt you," Violet warned.

She sidestepped once and ducked under another swing, but before she could put any real space between them, the dark one latched onto her shoulders and head-butted her. She shot out blindly with a fist and felt it connect with substance. There was a paused in attacks that allowed her to step back and rub her sore forehead, inhaling sharply at the swelling that was already coming about. She glared at the monster between parts in her fingers.

"Like that?" she asked of the other as it smoothed the side of the face she had hit. "Next time I'll _really_ hurt you. I don't want to, but I will if I have to." Then something warm dripped down her fingers and Violet pulled her hand away to look at it. The sight of the red that had seeped out of the wound affirmed the conclusion that this was not her friend and what she should do with it.

"That's it!"

Using the anger at the fact that something so closely resembling a Heartless had landed a hit on her, she summoned an attack. The next time that the dark one jumped at her, she concentrated hard on landing her fist squarely in its gut and sending it sprawling with a white explosion. It didn't take long for it to rouse again, but this time it ran right by her and through a green circle of light that had appeared unbeknownst behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded of it and rushed through, only to be pulled to a far different corner of the room. There she did not find the Fae lookalike, but she did find someone else she knew.

"Cloud?" she greeted, recognizing the blonde spikes but wary as the situation greatly resembled what had just happened to her. He was standing motionless with his back to her. Testing these waters, she inquired, "Did a thing that looks like Fae come through here?"

It almost startled her when he replied, "Only one person has been here and it wasn't Fae."

Curious as to whom he was referring, she stepped to the side to look around him. Cloud's frozen state was due to the rigidness of his body as he stared down the stranger with a ferocity Violet had never seen him wear before. The only slight movement between them was Cloud's tense breathing and the quiver of the tip of his sword in his tight grip.

The stranger seemed much less concerned, probably because he was more intimidating by her standards. The long silver hair which she would have mocked under normal circumstances was offset sinister black outfit with armor plating and his eyes that glinted with obvious evil intent, much like the metal of the razor sharp katana on his hip that was twice as long as Cloud's blade.

"Who is that?" she wondered aloud.

"Sephiroth," Cloud replied vehemently, as if the very name poisoned his mouth.

Violet could vaguely understand why. Sephiroth was the reason Cloud had been in his shabby state when he had found her at Hollow Bastion. They were always in a heated rivalry, but she hadn't been mad privy of much more than that. Seeing Cloud act the way he was now, though, it was going to become one of her priorities to gain some more information.

And then the fight was on. Before Violet could even blink, Sephiroth flashed out of sight and the next she knew, there was a resounding clash of metal. Their weapons met, there was a brief power struggle, and then Cloud pushed off and made a horizontal cut thought he air. He didn't make contact; Sephiroth jumped over the blade and back out of harm's way. His feet had barely met the ground when he surged back in and slashed at Cloud, who deflected it and spun around behind Sephiroth to make another attack that was evaded.

It went on like this for some time. Again and again they charged at each other and repeatedly they escaped the attacks of the other just in time. Violet gaped in awe as all she could follow of the fight was the flashes of light, the whistles of the air as it was diced in swift precision, and the screams of protest from the blades. She would only catch glimpses of their figures when they paused for only a second to regain footing or get their enemy's whereabouts.

Suddenly, the war of weapons stopped. There was silence for a moment…and then there was a blur of black and Sephiroth was standing in front of her. Violet sucked in her breath and took a couple steps backward out of instinct. But then he turned and looked her right in the eye, an intimidating smirk poised on his lips. Violet's feet were rendered immovable by what she saw in his gaze. The hardened steel of a fighter was lit with the backdrop of a fire of malice. It gave evidence of a hatred for humankind, the want to kill off every last remnant of the weak and worthless, and take down those who protected them, too. The deep darkness covering over his soul made her knees weak. Her light as it was now couldn't touch him; she was an easy prey.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted and faster than before he leapt forward to aid her. He swung down in a deep arc and it seemed certain that he had met his target. But the image of the one-winged angel before him blurred and only a few severed black feathers remained. He appeared behind them on the other side of the arena.

He smirked. "You can't run forever," he said and then he stepped back and disappeared, causing one of the rock walls that been encasing them to open into a hallway out.

* * *

As the light faded, Sora suddenly felt like he was a solitary body in a much larger space. He spun around and found this to be true. The steps of Axel and Ffae behind him faded away as their forms, too, were whisked elsewhere.

"Guys!" he cried in alarm.

There was no answer, but he did get the feeling that he was indeed no longer alone. He turned again and found an old man standing before him in a long trench coat and white gloves over a black outfit with tall boots Sora had seen many times before. The man's head was bald, but he sported a greying beard and frighteningly familiar amber eyes. Sore was sure, though the man had striking similarities, that he had never met this man, yet the other stared him down with a knowing sort of smirk like he was looking straight into Sora's soul and understood all of his inner workings. It set the teen on edge.

"Who are you?" he asked with cautious curiosity.

"Someone you know. And yet…you also do not," came the cryptic answer.

"Someone I know?" Sora repeated. He was sure he could not place seeing this man anywhere in his life. "What's your name?"

"My name is of no importance," he spoke in a gravelly voice.

Sora's heart sped up and something inside him shouted a warning. A conglomerate of thoughts, some recognizable and others not, seared through his subconscious, couples with rushes of memories from another side of him. _Roxas?_

_Two figures in black cloaks standing on a beach…_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I'm all that is left. Or maybe…I'm all that there ever was."_

"_I meant your name."_

"_My name is of no importance."_

_Xemnas?_

_King Mickey stared up at the leader of Organization XIII and then he remembered where he had seen the being before. "Xehanort!"_

"_How long has it been since I abandoned that name?"_

"_Master Xehanort!"_

Sora took a breath and stepped back. "Xehanort?" he repeated aloud.

The grin that spread over the strange man's face raised the hairs on the back of the Keyblade Master's neck. Following his internal warning of danger, he drew his blade and lowered into his fighting stance. To his surprise, however, the other laughed at the gesture and then, to Sora's utter horror, this "Xehanort" materialized a Keyblade of his own!

"Wh-Where did you get that?" the younger stuttered.

"Ignorant boy," the elder addressed him. "You know so very little about the weapon you wield, and even less about the weapon your _heart_ once wielded."

"_What?_"

"The time will come when you will learn about your history and that of those dependent upon your heart."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

The man laughed again, the irritating, knowing sort of laugh that clearly marks acquired knowledge that _you_ lack.

"Tell me!" the teen ordered and gripped his Keyblade to show he was determined to learn of it one way or another.

"Perhaps you will see in the not-so-distant future," he taunted and advanced on the boy.

Sora backed away, but not quick enough. "Xehanort"…stepped right through him and dissolved into thin air. Sora was left alone and confused, staring at a purple light.

* * *

Riku did not see Maleficent immediately upon stepping out of the other side of the portal. However, footsteps behind him signaled that he was not alone. With a cocky chuckle, he uttered, "You'll have to do better than that" and spun, lashing out with Way to the Dawn at the same time. Maleficent leaned back and Riku's blade sheared a gaping hole through her cape.

_So close._ He was near enough now that he could take a swipe at the top of her pointed head, but she sidestepped that and ducked under his next attack as well. Riku spun out of her reach and, as he neared the edge of the designated battlefield, a grey stone wall magically appeared to keep him encased. With Maleficent advancing, an idea came to use to his advantage and he ran partway up the stones, using them to launch and put himself at the right level to kick her head. It would have worked if she hadn't caused a small dark portal to open and trap his leg inches from her face.

"I don't want to maim you, child. You could be of use to me," she cooed with false sincerity.

"No!" Riku snapped. "Never again!"

Maleficent scoffed, ripped his leg from its entrapment, and sent him flying onto the unforgiving stone with a gruesome blow to his midsection from her staff. Riku paused a moment to get his bearings as his head had broken his fall. He coughed, groaned, and sat up, holding his abs as he searched for where his Keyblade had fallen. He must have let it dissipate.

Maleficent laughed, "You will see it my way soon enough." And then she disappeared into a green light.

Riku staggered to his feet, materialized his weapon again and once more gave chase. He was surprised to see Maleficent calmly waiting for him on the other side.

"You do not give up easily, do you?" she inquired.

"Why would I ever give in to you?"

"There's that stubborn determination I've always admired. But Riku, you are sure you wish to escape and yet _you_ are the one pursuing _me_. Clearly there is something you want…"

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" he accepted the bait.

She taunted him, "Perhaps I will tell you…if you _can_ catch me."

Before she could blink, Riku had shot forward, shouting, "How's _this_?" His Keyblade met her staff with a resounding clash. They fought each other's strength for a moment and then Maleficent pushed away and made a wide swing with her weapon. She missed as Riku was just quick enough to jump backward out of the way of danger. Again and again they tried to make contact and time after time their opponent narrowly evaded a hard blow.

This went on for quite some time. Maleficent resorted to fire-based attacks, green flashes of light the cast eerie shadows over Riku's lethal blade as it whistled through the air. It was a deadly dance, only with respites to regain footing or keep track of the other.

Finally, Riku charged Maleficent and she melted into the ground in a flurry of green flames and, as he had predicted, she arose behind him. He turned, looked her directly in the eye with an I've-Got-You-Now smirk, sprung out of the way of her staff, and then leapt back in, driving his Way to the Dawn in a deep arc that was certain to connect.

But then…it didn't. Maleficent was gone once more, this time leaving him staring at a hallway she had revealed. Riku had ultimately expected that, but it still frustrated him. He shouted after her, "You can't run forever!" Then he jerked his blade from where it had embedded in the stone and ran to the next area of the maze-like room to meet her.

"_I_ am the one running, you say?" she queried once he caught up to her.

"Stand and fight me to the end," Riku ordered. "You won't do it."

"Why should I? This is my castle. You are dogging me through my own domain and to what end? A battle that you cannot possibly win. You know this, and yet you press on so the reasonable conclusion is you seek something from me. Why else would you waste so much time in a pointless game of cat-and-mouse rather than looking for your friends?"

Riku realized she was right and he also realized she was fully aware of that fact, but he wouldn't admit it. "What are you doing to them?" he demanded instead.

"Dear child," she mocked. "I have not done a thing. Everything that has happened to them, _you_ have done."

"That's a lie!"

"Very well, go on insisting that is the answer. But you will see in due time that what I speak is truth, especially if you endeavor to see this ridiculous pursuit to its conclusion."

With those words, she once again left him by himself, staring at the smolder left by her green flame. He reflected on their conversation momentarily and wondered whether he should go back and look for his lost friends. After all of the portals he had taken and the winding rooms he had navigated, he wasn't sure if he would be able to find them anyway. Despite the protective instincts talking back to him, he thought it would be more feasible to press on until he could turn around. …Or that's what he convinced himself was the reason…

* * *

Axel shielded his eyes from the bright and incredibly too cheerful light As he left its warmth and he lowered his hand, though, he got the feeling of being watched. What he discovered was the source nearly caused him to fall over. From the black and white bi-colored coat to the flips fo silver hair and the unforgettably commanding yet surprisingly empty amber eyes, there was no doubt that the figure before him was—

"Xemnas," he breathed.

"Number VIII," the former leader acknowledged.

Axel glared at the use of his title rather than his name. He folded his arms. "You're supposed to be dead."

"As are you," Xemnas retaliated. "The fact that you are not is an act of kindness. Don't squander such graciousness by playing these games."

"I'm doing my job."

"Yes, just like last time," the Superior said, referring to his traitorous past. "It would be wise not to toy with someone possessing far greater power than yourself."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Axel mocked. "I'm shaking in my boots."

"You have no need to be. It's unlikely that you'll be the first victim. The strongest and most clever opponents strike for the heart first."

Axel's arms moved to his sides, hands clenched into fists. A warning fire lit in his eyes. "Those ones are never smart enough to quit while they're ahead."

"Now who's making idle threats?"

Axel's chakrams spun into existence, popping and hissing and shooting tongues of flame. They left his hands just as fast as they'd come, though he didn't expect they'd touch his prior commander as they both well knew the other's skills. Sure enough, Xemnas' sabers glowed to life and he used one to block the deadly attack. They recoiled back to their master's waiting hands with ease, as if he had never been separated from them at all.

"Nothing idle about it," he stated smugly.

"The same is true of mine," Xemnas cautioned him.

Axel frowned. In a flash, Xemnas stood before him, saber near enough to sear the flesh on the side of his neck. Axel held his breath to keep his vital arteries out of reach (after all, that was an area for concern as of recently), but his eyes held the bright gaze of the other. _He's gotten faster._ And then just as quickly, Xemnas spun away from him and launched himself toward the exit, clipping a few hairs from one of Axel's spikes as he went by.

Axel turned, ready to defend himself, thinking that Xemnas would attack from behind. But the leader did nothing of the sort and Axel was just met with the sight of the cloak disappearing in a flash of yellow light. His face fell into perplexity and he crossed his arms, pondering what had just happened.

He had thought the reunion would be much more…well, violent. Instead it was only a series of riddles, just as his prior boss had done to all of their victims at first. That served as a warning.

But Axel had betrayed his trust. He should have been angry enough to kill, or at least have the knowledge enough to know he should kill him if he _could_ be angry. But instead he fled the scene. Xemnas didn't flee. And even if he had to cut their encounter short for some odd reason, why didn't he use a portal of darkness?

Deep frown lines marred the pyro's normally smooth brow. Something smelled fishy here and Axel felt he was being duped. Axel did not like being duped. He decided to investigate.

* * *

Fae approached the next light (a red one) with tired feet. She had been wandering for some time now and she still hadn't met up with anyone she knew yet. She had seen the residue of their battles (split tiles, scuff marks in the stone, ash piles) and she had defeated a few Heartless that had been lucky enough to escape destruction so she assumed she was the last of them to figure out the maze. But she wasn't out of the woods yet.

As she came near to the portal, a being came through it. Fae back pedaled and then looked up into the last person she wanted to meet on her own. About a foot taller than her and with completely black eyes, she felt, not only intimidated, but that he was drawing her into the abyss and sucking the life right out of her. So distracting was that feeling that she hardly noticed the thigh-length blonde hair that could easily warrant a joke. Though she only had less-than-vague flashes of the man, she had no doubts that this was Nave.

"There you are," he said with a devilish grin (and not the good kind). "Pity you had to make me wait all this time to acquire your skills. We could have ruled the worlds a long time ago."

Fae withdrew further. "Stay away from me."

"What's the trouble, young Maiden?" he jabbed. "Don't you have your darkness to protect you?"

At that remark, she planted her feet and shot back, "I don't need the dark. I have my light. What do you have?"

"Oh, I think you know," he replied, directing a finger to her hip with the scar. Fae covered it with a hand as if to prevent him from seeing he had left his mark. Nave chuckled and opened one side of his trench coat to reveal rows of knives. "And these, of course. I don't think I'll need much else. Not for you. Not yet."

Arming himself with a knife between each set of fingers, he began throwing them at her one-by-one. She ducked under the first, spun away from another, and accidentally missed the third by stepping out of her turn too soon. Regrettably, that put her too close to Nave and he took a swipe at her as she tried to correct and she wound up clumsily shuffling backward.

"Where is this favored light of yours?" Nave mocked.

Fae met his eyes, a strange sense of duty to defend her position coming over her. Balling her hands into fists, she formed a light sphere in each one, used the right to deflect a knife and aimed the other for Nave. It hit him directly in the stomach.

He didn't move at all. In fact, he rubbed the area slightly like he had just finished a good meal and acknowledged it with, "Oh my, that did tickle a little."

Fae set her jaw and shot forward, intent on getting a good hit in, but Nave wouldn't be so generous. As she neared close enough to make contact, he sidestepped and fanned his trench coat, sending the sharpened, glinting points right into her path. Fae knew that if ran into that, she would be shredded for sure. She had sense enough to duck, but the tail of the coat still slid over her back and the weight of the blades threw her off balance. She fell forward into a very vulnerable position on the floor and turned over to see Nave towering over her with that ever-arrogant smirk in place.

"A valiant effort to be sure," he applauded in false support. "Unfortunately, you'll need more than valiance to escape me."

Fae's feet scooted her backward as far as she could, but then a stone wall sprang up against her shoulders, blocking anymore movement. There was no way she could move fast enough to avoid any other oncoming attacks he might make. So in a last ditch effort, she brought both hands to her front and began forming an even bigger light orb.

Nave rolled his eyes. "This again? We just discovered that method is futile."

But what he didn't know was that this light was being drawn straight from the brightest and purest supply Fae had—her heart.

* * *

Riku stood now before, not just one Maleficent, but two. They both cackled as he entered and raised their staffs high in the air. Riku readied his Keyblade as the environment became significantly darker.

"You're trying my patience, boy," one notified him.

"That makes two of us, hag," came the response.

"Such impudence! After all the aid I have offered to you!" the other Maleficent snapped. "I will have to give you a powerful reminder of the strength of the darkness!"

"Go ahead and try! I'll teach you all about the light!"

"You're idle threats do not intimidate me, boy…"

With their twin scepters raised, the Maleficents sent a barrage of green fireballs toward him. Riku ducked and rolled around the attack, all the while feeling as though they could be doing so much more. _Had all of this chasing wore her out? Was that even possible? _With strategic jumps and dodges, he was soon in reach of one of the doubles. The onslaught stopped when he held the tip of his Way to the Dawn to her throat.

"Now who's making idle threats?" he derided her.

The witch grinned slyly and then her image stepped right into his weapon and straight through him. He whirled around to find only one Maleficent and she was fleeing the scene. Riku charged after her and leapt through the yellow light, hot on her heels. He wasted no time in launching after her and swinging his Keyblade into a death-dealing blow. Again her staff reached out to block him and she pivoted around behind him and made her own attack. Riku jumped back to evade it. With him in the air, though, he was a prime target for an aerial assault by way of bursts of flame. Riku defrayed the damaged as much as possible, guarding with his Keyblade while he leaned and changed his direction midair. It wasn't enough to come through without a scorching.

He landed and rubbed a hand over his belly to assess the damage. _Nothing a new shirt couldn't fix._ His jacket had taken most of the burn, fortunately, as his opponent was not to be so generous as to allow a reprieve now.

A sudden change in the atmosphere and a wave of loose, dark-coated bricks and mortar announced the incoming bombardment. Riku threw up a crystalline shield to end the problem simply enough, but Maleficent had counted on that. With his vision obscured, she had enough time to get in close for a blunt-force attack. As Riku came out from behind his protection, she threw up her cape in a blur of black that disoriented his eyes and threw off his balance so that he fell to one knee when she rapped him good across his back.

The witch had not counted on him dropping onto the back of her long dress, however, and as he went down, so did she. Riku was swift to recover and gain his feet while he still had his foe trapped. She looked up into the eyes of the tall young man she was now at the mercy of, her back literally against the wall with nowhere to go. Her own castle and this emotional maelstrom of a protagonist were going to be the end of her after all her hard work to turn him. As a last ditch effort, she brought the orb of her staff up to her chest for one last attack.

Riku would not give her the chance. He raised his Keyblade to strike, announcing her demise with, "Try to escape _this_!"

* * *

Axel followed the Xemnas impostor through the light and was met with a very peculiar sight on the other side. Riku was fighting a familiar female rather than the Xemnas impersonator. As he entered, she charged the warrior who tripped her and then stumbled himself. Axel thought this must have been the most pathetic fight he had ever seen, but then the female started to form a huge attack and Riku whirled and raised his Keyblade to impale her.

"Try to escape _this_!" he proclaimed.

Axel shouted, "Riku!" The boy stopped out of sheer surprise that the pyro was suddenly present and that he had actually used the Keybearer's given name. The elder demanded, "Why are you trying to kill Fae?"

* * *

Fae forced as much light from her heart into her hands as quickly as she could manage without going unconscious. Her attack was about as big as her torso when someone else entered the scene. Axel studied the situation in bewilderment and then shouted something to Riku. She couldn't see Riku from the brightness in from of her, nor could she really heart all that was said from the humming of power and her own blood pumping in her ears.

Nave stared her down and since neither Axel nor Riku were intervening, she decided to wipe that smirk off of his face herself. With all the force she had left, she hurled the orb as fast as she could. It hit dead on.

* * *

Riku turned back to Maleficent in confusion. "Fae?"

The gigantic ball of darkness and flame that the witch had been forming left her possession with unrivaled speed and hit him square in the chest. But instead of burning darkness, he was engulfed in a blinding light. He threw his hands up to his face and shielded his eyes until the attack subsided. A shock wave went through him and he dropped to his hands and knees, left short of breath and light-headed. There was the sound of something cracking and hissing like an ice cube dropped into water and then all was silent.

Riku gingerly opened his eyes, the ambiance still not returning to the normal dimness of the castle as quickly as it could. Flakes of shimmering light fragments rained down around him like confetti and as he looked up, the image before him of Maleficent (which had been left cracked in half) split entirely, being replaced by the terrified countenance of Fae. She lay motionless against the stone wall, staring at him like he had grown an extra head.

In fact, no one said anything until every other member of their team had entered and Sora wondered, "What happened?"

"That tricks of Maleficent's castle, that's what," Axel answered.

Riku groaned and finally climbed to his feet. He should have known. She hadn't felt right, but his want for closure had outweighed his reasoning capabilities. _At least Fae's power was too great for that witch's illusions._ He reached to help her up. She hesitated, taking a moment to convince herself that this was not just another trick and then accepted.

The last portal in the accessible vicinity was a green one with purple tongues of flame snaking throughout it. As if the color scheme wasn't obvious enough, a dark force could be felt exuding from within. Riku didn't wait for anyone's approval; he was ready to end this mess and he stepped right through. Fae stuck close to him as well as everyone else, determined not to let any of them be turned against each other again.

To their surprise, there were no tricks this time, no hiding, no immediate attacks. They had entered into a throne room of some kind, but much less glorious than the one at Prince Philip's castle. It was dark and dank and made of mildew-infested stone, crafted in a circular shape with a lower level and stairs leading to the proper elevated place where one might expect to see a seat of authority stood Maleficent, looking right at home.

"I thought I felt a familiar presence," she addressed the intruders. Though she didn't specify which presence, she looked straight at Riku when she said, "I have been awaiting your return. And how considerate, you have delivered the Maidens of the World within my grasp."

"Told you," Axel hissed to Riku and blazed his chakrams into existence.

"Now, now, boy, there's no need for that," the witch said with a dismissive flip of her hand. "I will simply fulfill their purpose for me and you can be on your way."

"You wouldn't be stupid enough to take all of us on at once," Axel mused.

"Not stupid, boy. Confident."

"Overly," Violet inputted.

"Insolent child," Maleficent belittled her. "I have made the mightiest of creatures shudder in fear, hoards of creatures of the darkness have subjected to my command, world rulers have become servants to my magic, Keyblade Masters have bent their knees to my power." Riku and Sora grit their teeth, but couldn't deny that what she spoke was true. "I am the Mistress of All Evil. _All_ shall bow to me!"

"Big deal!" Violet ridiculed back. "That wasn't any of _us_!"

Sora and Riku met gazes. Fae spotted the action and curiously touched Riku's arm. Sora's focus fell to his shoes and Riku looked away, distantly toward the ongoing conversation. _Their past was about to be let out into the open for all to scrutinize._ Fae puzzled over them, never before seeing this side.

"Ignorant fool!" Maleficent cried at the purple-haired Maiden. "You know nothing of the company you keep! They have concealed their past from you and you continue to fall to their every whim!"

"Shut up!" Violet shouted.

Fae was boiling as well. No one made her friends feel bad about themselves! "I've had it with your slandering mouth!"

Light leapt into the girls' hands, but Sora and Riku stepped in front of them, Keyblades ready.

"Some of us have fallen into her traps in the past," Riku confessed and Fae had a brief recollection of when he had told her a little about his fall to darkness at Hollow Bastion. Her grip on her orb loosened just the slightest.

"But none of us will today!" declared Sora and he led a charge up the stairs leading to their foe, Violet only steps behind him.

Maleficent scoffed. "You will make a lovely edition to my ranks."

With that she raised her staff above her head and brought it down between two stone tiles with a sharp _Crack!_ Spider legs of electricity shot out from its end and coursed around the tiles and down the stairs to the heroes, stopping them in their tracks. Literally. Sora and Violet's bodies went rigid as the current spiraled up their legs for a moment of excruciating electrocution. That halted their ambush as Sora dropped to one knee, huffing and dry heaving. Violet's body tipped backwards and into Cloud, taking several long moments to recover its flexibility.

Fae hurried to Violet's side to examine the burns that had started to bubble up on her skin. "Are you going to be alright?"

Behind her, Riku threw up a shield to block another lethal strike. Violet frowned and mumbled, "Don't stand there, stupid." By that point, she had regained enough mobility to sweep Fae off her feet with one leg. The redheaded Maiden's back hit the floor as a lightning bolt zapped through the air where she had just been standing.

"Hey Blondie," Axel addressed Cloud. "Let's get her out of the line of fire."

He pointed across the room where one of the support pillars had crumbled to time. The soldier nodded to this and gathered Violet into his arms. Riku gripped Sora's shoulder.

"You okay, Sora? Are you alright to move?"

Axel waited for the slight nod from the brunette and then told Cloud, "Go, I'll cover you."

That assurance made, Cloud ran out into the fray, Axel keeping pace with him. In the meantime, Riku had hauled Sora up by his wait and commenced in limping him along as Axel halted in the middle of the battlefield to allow them to pass safely while he attracted attention. Doused in fire, his chakrams spun through the air, threatening to tear Maleficent to charred pieces. Unfortunately, he remembered too late that would have no effect as she batted them away with her (recently transformed) lightning rod and the tongues of fire were devoured by vicious green flames, leaving harmless plumes of smoke in their wake.

"I have got to remember that she's a witch," he cursed to himself and leapt away from a particularly large lightning strike. He hurled his weapons in a different pattern, but as they were about to smash into her, Maleficent vanished and employed a new tactic. She appeared on the side where they had previously been standing and the air grew dark and heavy.

Across from her, Violet was being settled into a comfortable position for her limbs to wake up in. Riku dug into his pocket and retrieved a potion. He shoved it into Sora's hands.

"Sip on that and share some with Violet," the older boy instructed as the younger nodded from where he leaned against the wall. He hissed as he moved to allow his arm to lift the magical substance to his mouth.

"Meteors of Heaven, unleash my fury!"

"That's not good," Sora muttered around the potion.

Riku spun from a crouch to a stand, moving to protect them from the volley of large, magic-coated boulders that had escaped the defenses of Axel and Cloud. But before he could even bring his blade into position, Fae leapt between them and the rock mass, smashing it to harmless chunks with a fist colored dark blue. She looked to her hand and then to the witnesses, just as astonished as they were.

"I don't know," she answered the unasked question.

Riku shot past her and sliced through another, then turned and smirked. "Well, figure it out. We could use some more surprises like that."

She followed as he moved back into the fracas, cutting down the last of the meteors. Maleficent disappeared again as they neared her and moved to another part of the arena. This time their pursuit was halted by some of the stronger varieties of Heartless: Darkballs, Wyverns, Wizards—anything to distract them. While they were dealing with those, she moved again and raised her arms skyward, her cloak fanning out like black wings of a deadly predator.

"You will be consumed by the darkness!"

Then out of her staff came a swirling mass of black, blue, and purple which resembled a small black hole. Fae felt her hair get sucked forward from where she had it tucked behind her ears and a strong breeze pulled at her clothes. Her feet skidded forward and couple inches and then Axel stepped in front of her, trying to break the pull and shift his stance to anchor them both. The force was amazing and they really couldn't flee the inevitable fate.

But out of the corner of his eye, Axel saw Sora barrel over the column where he had been protected and swing his Keyblade at the commanding rod. Maleficent shrieked when it collided with enough counter-force to break the spell and smash into her side. In retaliation, she latched onto Sora's forearm as she careened sideways and hurled him out to meet his friends. Riku switched places with his best friend and ran in to hit her while they had the chance.

Axel gave the boy lying on his back at his boots a thumbs-up before the witch escaped in a flurry of green flames once more. They were all very surprised when she chose to reappear behind them in the middle of the battlefield. Why would she knowingly place herself in a compromised position? Because she was setting up a trap, that's why.

The pryo was too slow in making the realization to inform the group that this actually wasn't a dumb move, but clever on her part. They moved in on her and she faded right in front of them, sending shock waves out behind her and the echoing words, "You will be lost forever!" The first shock knocked Fae and Sora's feet out from under them and thrust them backwards and into line with the rest of their team. The next wave forced them all to lose another foot. Sora regained his balance and jumped over the next, prompting his companions to adopt the same strategy. They were reclaiming ground to freedom, but then the waves started coming more frequently, giving them less time to jump. It was rapidly becoming hit-and-miss and they were slowly being knocked further in again. What's more, they were growing sleepy with each hit!

Riku was left standing at the perimeter of the circular battlefield, trying to find a way to free them without getting trapped himself. Footfalls to his side alerted him that he was not alone, but the source was not their adversary. Violet was walking toward him, intently studying the plight.

"Something's not right," she informed him.

"What do you mean?"

"Those shock waves aren't hurting them, just making sure they can't escape. It's pushing them all toward the center."

Riku looked back at the scene with that in mind and then something new came to the fore. Three faint globes were above the center where his friends were bring drawn and within their rotating pattern, he could make out near translucent numbers counting down to something.

"It's a trap!"

_3…2…1…_

All of the transparent spheres collected together and shone a faint purple, the glow becoming stronger until it began bursting with power. Tendrils of electricity danced through the air, buzzing as they lashed the air, cracking as they met the ground, and snapping as they struck down on their companions. As their cries met his ears, Riku stepped forward to attempt to break the spell.

"No, you'll be pulled in!" Violet reminded him.

He glared; not at her, but at the situation. _But he had to try!_ It was then as they gazed upon their friends that they noticed a small green ball floating almost tauntingly above the electrical storm. But its color was quickly beginning to dim and it moved to the dais of the room. Without conversing with each other, Violet ran one way and Riku ran the other, ready to catch their enemy as soon as she returned.

Maleficent's feet had barely taken solid form on the ground again when she head a battle cry from her right. She was distracted by a blast of light to her side and she turned toward Violet. Unconcerned with her intrepid attempt, Maleficent weaved between the Maiden's subsequent punches before dealing a back-hand that sent the girl falling from the platform. But she could not account for Riku's whereabouts swiftly enough and the boy leapt over her staff, pivoted upon hitting the ground to knock her arm away with his Keyblade, and then ducked around behind her. A well-placed kick to her delivered her, too, over the edge.

In the meantime, the spell had been broken by Violet's initial blow and Cloud had recovered in time to slide to his knees and catch the Maiden just before she hit the stone. Maleficent followed shortly after, but no one thought it proper to help her.

Riku jumped down as she picked herself up, getting her against the wall. But before he could strike or really even collect his thoughts, the witch grabbed his vest and pulled him to her face.

"You will never destroy me, Riku. You need me. We are far too much alike."

"Why would I ever need you?" Riku spat in reply.

"Those Maidens will meet their fate, just like every other pawn in his game," Maleficent went on, ignoring him, enticing him.

"Where's Nave?"

"All those secrets of the past, present, and future…" she murmured still and Riku was concerned for a fraction of a second that maybe he had hit her too hard. "I'm certain one day we will unlock them, you and I…" Abruptly, an evil sneer plastered itself on her pale face. "Until we meet again, my dear boy."

And then, while he was still trying to make sense of her words, she reached into the wall behind her and pulled open a dark portal. Riku didn't notice in time to grip her cloak as she retreated into her escape and he was left with two options. Should he stay with his friends and try to figure out the plot on their own? Or should he follow after the Maleficent and finally perhaps come to terms with his past to unveil the heinous future? Not much of a choice, is it? He raised Way to the Dawn and a beam of light shot from the tip to the middle of the black abyss, causing a luminous grid to spread out from the center, holding it open.

Sora knew what that action meant. He'd seen it before. "Don't do it alone, Riku."

"Sora…I know you have my back and you'd jump in that portal behind me in a second…but this is something that I can't accept help on. I have to finish it myself."

"Don't go…" Fae uttered quietly.

Riku approached her and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We make a great team, but you see why I didn't want to talk about it before?" She nodded solemnly. "I have to do this. But I'll be back soon."

"What if you're not?"

Riku spared a few moments of silence to consider the possibilities. He wouldn't allow himself to let the worst come into his mind. "I'll come back."

He turned away, meeting Axel's eyes as he did, passing their friends' safety into his hands. Then, as the pulsing of the portal began to waver, Riku drew Way to the Dawn and walked through to a place he had never wanted to return to again. The rest of the team was left to navigate their sullen selves out of the castle, one member short.

At the gates, though, they were met with one more unexpected arrival. Pete pointed accusingly at them. "Hey, what are you bums doing here?"

"What do you think we're doing?" Axel quipped.

"Yeah, well, you better get outta here before Maleficent finds out you're sniffin' around. Go on, scram! Beat it!"

"Alright, we'll go," Sora replied agreeably, really not wanting to waste time with this less-than-threatening foe.

"But only because we defeated Maleficent already," Violet added offhandedly as they passed.

Pete almost fell over. He sputtered, "Well, we'll just see about dat!"

Fae really just wanted to leave all these villains in their misery, but her Maiden side got the best of her. "Are you really going to keep working for a witch who's been lying to you all this time?"

Pete stamped his feet. "What are ya talkin' about?"

Fae was turned off by his tantrum, but Sora mercifully took over. "PJ is at the King's castle, Pete. He's training to be in the royal guard."

Pete stared at them, dumfounded, mouth agape, the whole works. "What?"

"He's alive," Sora stated more plainly.

"No, no. Maleficent said—"

"Is it really that hard to believe she was lying?" Axel pointed out.

Pete's flabbergasted expression turned to what one may describe as thoughtful. After a few long moments of a furrowed brow and muttering to himself, he asked, "What about Peg 'n' Pistol?"

Sora shook his head. "They haven't turned up yet."

Several more long moments of contemplation and then Pete's head came up so fast that it nearly scared them. He pointed at Sora.

"Do me a favor, Pipsqueak." Sora had all the right in the worlds to tell Pete that he had no business asking him favors considering their history, but instead he smiled mildly at the fiend. Pete's voice became less boisterous and just a touch gentle. "Tell my boy PJ dat his old man is proud of him."

"Where are you going?" Sora called as Pete turned and wandered back into the castle.

"Maleficent told me dey were dead. I'm gonna find her 'n' teach her a lesson, see?"

"But she's already gone from there," Fae said.

Pete ignored them and continued his ranting, "Nobody swindles Peter Pete Senior. Nobody!"

"Let him go," Cloud spoke. "Some people take longer to accept the truth."

"Pete's name is Peter?" Sora repeated and then smiled a little more. "You think maybe Pete's got a little bit of good guy growing in him?"

"Don't push it," Axel said.

* * *

"What happened in here?" Sora chuckled upon finding Kairi in the castle kitchen.

The Princess turned away from piping frosting flowers on a seven tier cake (ironic, considering who she was and who she who she was doing it for), wiped a hand across her forehead, and examined the rest of the room. Cake batter was plastered on the ceiling, eggs were cracked all over the counters, butter was smeared on the walls, and flour thoroughly covered most of the floor. She sighed with a good-natured smile.

"Too many wands in the kitchen. The three good fairies arrived and were arguing over how many layers and what flavor and trying to show Donald how to properly mix the ingredients."

"Looks like that escalated quickly," remarked Violet.

Kairi nodded. "I finally convinced them to go to work decorating after I had Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather color some of the frosting. Goofy helped me stack the layers. There used to be eight. Anybody want to help clean?"

"Actually, I think I'm in charge of music selection," Violet volunteered. "We'll need some good jams for dancing." Cloud nodded and they made a hasty exit.

"Decorating has my name all over it," Axel declined as he was also hurrying from the room.

Kairi sighed again and put her hands on her hips, but her smile never wavered. She looked at Sora. "I don't suppose you know how to make frosting flowers?"

"About as well as the proper mixing technique."

"That's what I thought."

Sora leaned closer and thumbed some pink frosting from her forehead, swiping it into his mouth in one fluid motion. "Tastes like you're doing fine on your own, though."

Kairi rolled her eyes and then realized one person hadn't been accounted for in shirking duties. "Where's Riku?"

She peered behind Sora in search of her other best friend, but only found Fae silently picking up chunks of the fallen cake. Kairi frowned sadly and then poked Sora in the chest.

"Well, if you're not going to scrape egg off the walls then at least go make sure Axel and Donald don't burn down the decorations."

"As you wish, your Highness," he saluted and knowingly took his leave.

"Riku decided to chase her, after all," Kairi stated, resuming her buttercream botany. Fae nodded, but didn't offer words. "I knew that would probably be his decision as soon as I found out where we were. Their unfinished business has gone on far too long." Fae moved on to sweeping. "But he'll be back. No matter what Riku leaves for or how deep he gets into the darkness, he always comes back. He knows we can't survive without him. So don't worry. He'll come back for you, too."

"That's what he said," Fae mumbled.

Those were the only real words she spoke in response the rest of the night, instead opting for headshakes, shrugs, and fake smiles. She didn't even input when the fairies argued over what color gown to give her. (The verdict eventually rested on one fairy's trademark for each girl—pink for Kairi, blue for Fae, and green for Violet.) She didn't participate in much dinner conversation or toasting, although she did congratulate the bride and groom and accept their thanks. The other travelers understood her mood and did only slightly better at concealing their feelings. It just seemed like a huge piece of their lives was gone and there wasn't much point in acting like nothing was wrong. It would almost feel like betrayal to do so.

Nearing the end of the evening, Aurora approached Fae another time. "We will be leaving for our honeymoon soon. But some of our servants have returned to the castle. They have been welcomed back in exchange for cleaning up after the guests have gone so you won't have to."

Fae plastered on a small smile. "Thank you."

"Oh no, thank you. And…" Aurora looked down at her gloved hands. "I was sorry that Riku could not return with you to attend the festivities. I had something I wanted to tell him."

Fae cocked her head curiously. "Anything I can pass on to him?"

Aurora smiled. "It wasn't much, just a small thing. I mentioned to him that he reminded me of someone and a name came to me as I was getting ready. Will you ask him if he knows the name…Terra?"

Fae smiled through the confusion. "I will. You had better go now. I see His Majesty looking for you. Enjoy your night."

Aurora supplied her thanks again and hurried off. Fae maintained a thoughtful glance for quite some time after that. Eventually, Axel sidled up beside her in a red shirt that he had permitted Flora to create for him. "Remember what I told you about Riku?"

Fae kept her eyes trained on her fancy shoes. "That he's a runner and born to leave?"

Axel nodded. "And…?"

"And that if I want to go after him, I'll have to wait."

"And?"

Fae finally looked at him. "And what?"

"You have to be patient. This is something he's been running from for a while, but now he's ready to put it behind himself. He's doing it for those he cares about, and that includes you." She gave him small, grateful smile and that was Axel's cue to get her out of the corner. "Come on, let's dance. I can step on your feet just as well as he can."

* * *

Kateracks: Any last ideas you want included in the final world? Any loose ends you've been waiting for us to tie up? Now's the time to tell us about it! There's only two chapters and an epilogue left!

Arait: But given your record, that will be another two years…

Kateracks: (Glare)

Arait: Please Review!

Laters!


	24. Chapter 24

Kateracks: Things to know before we begin…Hmm…We're drawing ever closer to the end! One more chapter and an epilogue. Also…

Arait: WARNING! WARNING! Spoiler alert!

Kateracks: Just small ones. Like some side characters of Birth by Sleep or Dream Drop Distance. Hopefully all of you have played it by now, but if you haven't I don't think they'll ruin the game for you. You'll see what I mean once we go on.

Arait: Ye be warned.

Kateracks: -.-' Wrong story.

Arait: It still fits!

Kateracks: Let's…move into the chapter…

**Disclaimer:** We own nothing! Move along, please, nothing to see here!

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

"Maybe there was another sheet," Violet suggested.

"There wasn't another sheet," Axel denied.

"How do you know?" she demanded.

"Because I grabbed it out of the air. There was just that one."

"It could have gotten lost, sent to another part of the castle, or shredded in Fae's light blizzard!"

"It didn't," Axel insisted.

"How do you know for sure?" she asked again.

"Because paper doesn't look like light confetti. It looks like paper. And even if it got destroyed in the attack, do you think we could just ask Nave for another copy? Face it, Vi, that's all there is. That's the clue."

"_This_—" Violet held up the page. "_This_ is not a clue. _This_ is three lines of meaningless drabble."

"They must mean something to someone," said Kairi. "Or else he wouldn't have given it to us. He wants us to keep falling into his traps."

"I think he needs to take writing lessons," Violet grumbled and then read it aloud again for the umpteenth time, trying to make sense of what seemed to be broken rambling.

"_Eyes have seen before  
__Winter, dark to memory  
__End to beginning_

"It doesn't even rhyme!"

"It's a haiku," Cloud informed her.

"It still doesn't make any sense."

Axel pressed a finger into his temple and sighed. One girl was giving him a headache and the other wasn't making any noise at all. He'd be a monkey's uncle if he could find a happy median between the two. Eventually, he threw his hands up in defeat.

"I don't know; maybe we should regroup at King Mickey's castle and put our heads together after we've rested up a bit."

"We're here now," Violet said. "We've come all the way out here. We shouldn't have to make the trip again if it's a world nearby."

"And what's there to regroup?" Fae uttered quietly. "Whether we rest here or there, our number will stay the same." She stood and made her way toward the girls' quarters with the words, "Some of us don't have a home to go back to so it's come to be where the hearts are. It wouldn't feel the same if one of them is missing.

Axel exhaled again. She talked—that was progress—but now she was just moping vocally. _I can't win with these kids._

* * *

It took Fae a whole three hours of lying in bed wide awake after the lights had gone out before she decided that she was dirtying perfectly clean sheets for no reason, not even her meager couple of hours that she usually gained. She had wanted to be away from everyone, but now that her thoughts were even more jumbled from lack of sleep, she was ready to be up again. Violet wasn't in bed so she made her way to the cockpit in search of the other Maiden. There she found Donald and his co-pilot Goofy currently flying them back to Disney Castle with Sora resting on the bench in preparation for his shift.

Well, "resting" may not have been appropriate. He sat up when she entered. "Fae! Have a seat!" He agreeably moved his feet for her to sit down.

"Looks like we're all in the same state of mind," she pointed out.

"Me? I had too much wedding cake."

Fae raised her eyebrows. "That's all?" The bashful grin on Sora's face was confirmation enough. "Sora, even when Riku left, that happy-go-lucky attitude of yours never faded and now…we have no idea what's next. We're wasting time, Nave's lead is getting further ahead of us, I still have no memories, and—"

She wanted to say, "And the one thing that brought me peace and assurance that I _did_ actually exist before that damn beach is now gone." But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not in front of this boy who tried so hard to be optimistic enough for everyone. Besides, she wasn't the only one suffering.

"How do you do it?"

"I smile. Even when I don't feel like it. Because you never know who's watching and it may be just what they need to see."

Fae chuckled bitterly. "Well, now you know one who's watching."

"You're new to the hero business so I'll share some of what I've learned. Your memories may be forgotten, but they'll never be lost forever."

Fae's brow peeked and she tilted her head almost as if she was sympathetic for the boy's teenage brain. "Sora, that doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does. In all the worlds, I've visited I've left footprints of memories in everyone's hearts that I've met. All of the memories are chained to others so if one link is broken, there's another somewhere that's still hanging on. You just gotta find it.

"And Riku? He's got a bad habit of disappearing. Even when we were little he'd just leave in the middle of something to explore or brood. And he accuses _me_ of having a short attention span…"

Fae graced him with a momentary whisper of a smile.

"But he never completely leaves his friends. He and I were always working together, even if we couldn't always see each other. He'll come back, don't worry. Just keep smiling or else Donald might kick you out of the ship. It's like a rule he has. Right, Donald?"

"That's right!" agreed the duck.

Goofy added, "No frowny faces, Fae!"

She sighed. "That's so corny."

Sora lifted her chin so he could make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he was and it wasn't just a trick of the dim lighting. "But it worked! You're smiling!"

* * *

"Sephiroth." Violet began her conversation with one word. "You didn't tell me he makes you shake like a leaf."

"I wasn't."

"I guess you were trembling with excitement then?" There was no response. Violet took a station leaning against the hallway next to him. "Come on, Cloud. Everybody knows more about you than me. Tell me a little bit of your history…I don't know any of my own…"

He considered her out of the corner of his eye. She was genuinely curious, at times pushy and tough to deter, but honest. And he couldn't deny the reaction she had seen him exhibit toward the illusion of his adversary.

"He embodies my darkness," he eventually admitted.

Violet blinked. "Well, that's explains why you're so determined to find him."

"If every time you looked at someone and you saw all of the evil in you, wouldn't you want to get rid of them?"

Violet looked away. "It's hard to accept the flaws we have. But I don't think you created Sephiroth all on your own. Someone like that isn't molded by the life of one individual. So…how did he get that way?"

Cloud quietly mulled that subject over in his head, laying out his words and deciding how much he wanted her to know. Violet grew annoyed at the drawn out silence, but she kept it to herself, knowing this was a personal subject for him. It would take time and her speaking her impatience wouldn't bring it out into the open any faster.

It paid off. Cloud began a small story. "He wasn't always like that. On my home world there was an elite military force called SOLDIER. Sephiroth was one of the best."

In his mind, an image of a silver-haired, wild-eyed figure disappeared into a blaze. Cloud could hear his own ragged breathing as the vow of revenge came, followed by a creeping darkness.

"So he used to be a good guy? What made him turn?" Violet looked at the blonde to explain, but he didn't speak. "Come on, you're not seriously gonna stop in the middle of the story, are you?"

Cloud shifted his stance—a small thing, just simply switching which leg he put his weight on and re-crossing them accordingly—but it spoke volumes. "He found out that he had been a part of a genetic experiment—we both were. It made him crazy. He wanted to destroy the entire human race for turning him into a monster."

"That's…scary…" Violet now understood Cloud's reaction to seeing the silver-haired former hero. "But what's that got to do with you? You were just an innocent byproduct of the same program, right? Why are you a part of his act of vengeance?"

"Because I killed him."

Violet was left speechless. That didn't make any sense! Firstly, how could Cloud be threatened by someone who was already dead? Second, he actually killed a living person? Even if he was a genetically-made super soldier, she couldn't picture it well enough to form a response.

Luckily, she didn't have to, as that would have taken quite a while longer and made Cloud a whole lot more uncomfortable. What was a much less time-consuming transition and slightly less uncomfortable was when the door to the boys' cabin slid open and a red, pincushion-shaped blur raced past them toward the cockpit, yelling, "Winter!"

"Was that Axel?" Violet wondered aloud.

"That must be his way of telling us to assemble," Cloud surmised and then walked in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"I'll meet you there," he said over his shoulder.

Violet shook her head and leaned into the doorway of the girls' room. "Kairi, Axel's called a meeting in the cockpit."

* * *

"Are there any sharks?" Fae wondered.

"Sharks? Not very often," Sora responded, eyes focused intently on their dueling thumbs. "One time when I was little there was a big storm that churned up the water so bad all the fish were in the shallows. Then some sharks came in to feed. Our parents wouldn't let us go swimming for a whole month after that and the coast guard picked up patrol. But it's not usually like that at all."

"Winter!" Axel shouted as he rushed into the room. Fae's face flushed red and Sora pinned her thumb down.

"I win!" he pronounced his victory as Axel spun the pilot's chair around so fast that Donald flew out and then the pyro plopped in his place, grabbing the controls.

"What's the big idea?" Donald demanded from the floor.

Axel altered their course so sharply that the mage went rolling into the wall. Goofy remained seated, chuckling a little at his friend's expense. Fae slid into Sora on the bench. Violet and Kairi collided with each other in the entryway.

"Axel, what are you _doing_?" Violet yelled.

He turned in the captain's chair. "Winter!"

"We got that!" the Maiden snapped, rubbing her ribs where Kairi's nose had jabbed her. "What's all the commotion about?"

"I met you and Fae in winter!" He received blank stares all around. "On your world—snow, ice, all of it! Fae fell on her face!"

Violet snickered.

Fae frowned at her, but ignored the comment. "Are you saying our world is still out there?"

"I'm saying it's still out there and we're going to it!"

"How do you know their world is restored?" Sora asked of the pyro.

Axel stared silently at him for a moment, as if the answer to the question had already vocalized itself. "Why else would Nave give us that clue? Think. It all makes perfect sense. 'Eyes have seen before.' Well of course they have, it's their world!"

"But its 'Dark to memory'..." Fae uttered. "We don't remember where we're from."

"But I do," Axel assure her. "'Winter,' where everything you thought you knew in your normal little lives ended and began your journey as Maidens."

"We have a destination?" It was more of a statement rather than a question Cloud made as he entered the room. He received nods of confirmation. "Good. Put these on," he advised, throwing Axel's pants into his lap.

"Yeah," Violet concurred. "Nobody wants to see your chicken legs."

* * *

_Those Maidens will meet their fate just like every other pawn in his game. All the secrets of the past, present, and future…I'm certain we will unlock them…_

The words had been circling his head ever since he had stepped through the portal. Maleficent had not been on the other side, leaving him to track her trail of darkness and magic through the seemingly never-ending oblivion. Sometimes he wondered how that old hag could move so fast; he'd been walking for hours already.

While he trudged on, he considered what his friends might be doing right then. Had they found Nave's next clue and figured out where he was hiding? What fate did he plan to have in store for Fae and Violet if he thought he could get his hands on them? What secrets did he hope to reveal? Would they be potentially devastating to the universe just like the mysteries unlocked about the powers of Kairi and the other Princesses of Heart? What power could Fae truly hold within her small form?

_Axel better be taking care of them._

Riku blinked at the thought and then squinted at something in the distance before him. It looked like a person—a person in a long, black coat—and for several horrible moments, Riku had a series of flashbacks of other people in black coats obstructing his progress. As he neared, though, he realized that it was not, in fact, a person but a creature of the darkness, proved by the claws on the hands and the yellow eyes glowing from under the hood.

"What are you supposed to be?" he asked when he neared within a few feet of it.

The being didn't answer, but it stared at him, studying him. He risked a couple steps forward. It cocked its covered head to look at him from another angle. He moved a little closer and then a little more, cautious and ready to react. There was still no movement until he was side-by-side with it, facing the opposite direction as he walked on by. Although they weren't common (and he had never seen one like this before) there were some residents of the Dark Realm that would rather observe or flee rather than enter combat and Riku wasn't going to waste time fighting it if it wasn't a threat.

But as he was walking past, the creature reached out and gripped his arm. Riku's first instinct was to lash out and punch it, so that's what he did. The being danced out of the way and then stood still once more, not retaliating. Riku presumed it was looking for an opening so he drew Way to the Dawn and stood at the ready. The coated figure back-flipped out of reach and materialized two short swords out of its black sleeves, falling in to a playfully bouncy fighting stance. Still, though it did not move to attack. Riku didn't either, waiting for this strange opponent to make the first move so he could ascertain its fighting style.

Silence, taut muscles, and a mocking sort of shifting filled the agonizing moments of expectation. Then suddenly…the other relaxed from its stance and stood straight with its head tilted to one side, regarding Riku curiously. He gripped his Keyblade tightly as they faced off.

Eventually the opponent seemed finished with its analysis and raised its hand toward the Keybearer, darkness gathering at its claws. Riku braced for the imminent attack, but rather than him being met with a forceful collision when the black sprung from the being, he was gently engulfed in a black bubble. Suspended, he waved a haze of shadow from his eyes and looked around. Lightning of blue, purple, and red cracked around him harmlessly and yet his body tingled and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something stretched across his chest from arm to arm and over to his Keyblade. Riku glanced down to the source of the feeling and was horrified to see that his body was being pressed into a sinister, yet familiar form-fitting suit.

_No!_ His mind screamed at him in alarm while his brain just stared in shock. _You can't go back!_

_I'll never go back!_

Luckily for him, the light portion of his heart responded to his mind's cry for help quickly and did what his brain could not tell his body. His Keyblade pointed down at the source feeding the transformation bubble, the spot where he had last seen the creature, and shot a beam of bright blue light. There was a screech and then the wall surrounding him burst, dropping him to his feet and raining little blobs of black goo.

Riku took stock of the damage done to his body. A tight, rubberized body suit now fit against him like a second skin, completely black from his neck down to his toes except where it wrapped into boots—the soles purple. Fortunately, the switch had been interrupted before his image had been corrupted by a Heartless symbol or a grass skirt. Furious, he glared death at his opponent.

"That does it, you cloaked freak!"

The being hissed at him savagely and poised itself to spring at him from the sloppy crouched position where it had crumpled. As it moved, though, it placed a clawed had over its chest where a smoldering wound had been carved into it by the boy's attack. Rather than charging him right then, it whirled and ran into a portal

"Great," he scowled.

He had given up this side of him. It wasn't like he was using the darkness (he could still feel it restrained), just merely a wardrobe change, but to any onlooker it wouldn't seem that way. And he couldn't change back now that his original attire had been involved! Maleficent would be tickled pink to see this…

* * *

The world was basically the same as the Maidens had left it, at least as far as scenery goes. The buildings were all in the same order, albeit more rundown, and the roads had remained in working order…mostly. Some may have required all-terrain vehicles to traverse. They were on foot anyhow.

The main obvious difference was the people, or lack thereof. The place where Axel had met the girls now looked to be a ghost town and everything appeared in the color scheme of an old movie—black, white, shades of grey. Darkness was slowly seeping into every part of this world, every crevice and pore, working its way down to the core where it could have the most control. It was a repeat performance of what had happened when the pyro had come to save their lives, only more slowly. Few worlds ever got to experience two destructions and had survivors left to tell the tale. One maybe, but two? Unheard of. Even so, here they were. The girls didn't remember any of it, but it all seemed very déjà vu for everybody's favorite, former Organization member.

He took them to Fae's house and together they gathered in the middle of the living room where their adventure had first begun nearly two years ago. It was no longer damaged as the world had been restored after Sora had locked Kingdom Hearts, but it should have felt familiar enough, even being covered in shadow and cobwebs. Still as Fae stood in the same place she had stood so long ago and willed the memories to return, she kept a blank mind. With a yell of frustration, she grabbed an object off of a nearby desk and threw it across the room. The glass shattered.

Violet jumped. She had never seen this side of Fae and it was frighteningly strange. A little timidly, she slipped into the abandoned role of peacekeeper.

"Fae, don't throw things," she calmed as gently as she knew how.

"Why not?" Fae snapped uncharacteristically. "We're here. We're home. We're standing right in the middle of where our lives started and I can't remember any of it! Everything in this house is meaningless to me!"

"It doesn't mean any more to me. But we're not done searching yet and you shouldn't start by breaking your memories."

Axel crouched next to the smashed glass and lifted the source to look at it. "Maybe not," he said. "She's right. This _is_ meaningless. It's not even a memory." He turned it around so they could see that it was a picture frame—an empty frame containing no memory portrayed in a photograph behind where the glass once lay.

Kairi planted her hands on her hips. "What's going on here?"

"Another one of Nave's tricks," Sora said. "He wants their missing memories to stay that way."

"But why?" Donald wondered.

"Gawrsh, we already know he's a bad guy," Goofy added. "Even if Violet and Fae don't remember him, he'll still hafta fight us."

"It's a point of weakness," Cloud interjected. "Without their memories to confirm what they think they know, he can manipulate them and cast a shadow of doubt on their hearts."

They watched as Fae began to pace the floor of the living room, examining every other object that would have held something reminiscent of the past under normal circumstances. It was all the same—school notebooks, scrapbooks, the home computer—all were devoid of any clue that would provide information. Eventually her steps slowed in front of her companions.

"Let's find this monster." She turned and looked straight at Axel, the one who most clearly knew the thought processes of antagonists who used other people as pawns to do their bidding. "Where do we start looking?"

"He's been elusive so far," Axel pointed out. "I would start looking someplace not commonly visited. Not nearby Fae's house since this area would usually be filled with people who would know he wasn't from around here."

"But it's a ghost town," Sora brought out.

"So far he's been able to predict our ways of thinking. Wouldn't an unexpected place be where we think he's not—right in front of our noses?" Kairi reasoned.

"If he knows our thinking, he would know we'd consider that option, too," Cloud mentioned.

"That would only make it slightly more difficult find him if we decided to search every house in the community, but eventually we'd seek him out and he'd be trapped," said Violet.

"I know this is cliché," Fae spoke up. "But what about a cave?"

Violet rounded on her, knowing she herself couldn't remember the whereabouts of a cave. "Do you know where one is?"

"No," the other admitted.

Axel had moved a hand to his chin thoughtfully, but now he pointed at Fae. "But there's a forest not far from here."

"It fits with his pattern," Sora agreed.

Everyone looked at him. "What pattern?" Donald asked.

Amazingly, Goofy was following his train of thought, "Well, he keeps sending us to all these forests…"

"And he keeps away from large groups of people," said Kairi.

"You think he's Agoraphobic? That's a real villain." Axel gave a short, sarcastic chuckle and imagined what it would be like if that were the case when their enemy was found. He pointed at an imaginary Nave. "'Quick! Everybody crowd him! He'll cower into the fetal position!'"

"Think about it," Sora told the pyro while Goofy ticked off his points in the background. "First he led us into the middle of an arctic wilderness where he attacked us. Then he sent us into a forest that was just newly discovered by a more modern society and used a dark heart for his purpose instead of confronting us himself. It was the same way with Maleficent's castle on the opposite side of the world from Aurora's kingdom."

"Sounds good enough for me," Violet decided and exited the house of empty memories.

* * *

"You could start begging now," Riku called to his target when he was within earshot. The witch turned toward him. "'Cause when I get over there, you'll be sorry."

A chasm separated them—he on one side, she on the other, black mist obscuring the depth of the trench between them. Riku would be able to get across, but he still had a heart. He decided he'd give her one last chance to repent, even though he knew inside that she wouldn't. She felt no regret for aiding in his suffering.

"Beg?" she repeated as if that was the most unimaginable idea ever. "Don't be absurd, dear boy. I merely had to separate you from your meddling little friends. Here we can talk like adults."

Hadn't she just called him "boy"? Suddenly he was an adult? Well, then that meant she thought him perfectly capable of making his own weighty, mature decisions. He drew Way to the Dawn.

"You think them being gone is going to change anything?"

She began walking the edge of the crevasse and he did likewise on his side. At first all she did was chuckle to herself and look down into the mist. He kept a close eye on her, trying to anticipate any tricks she might attempt and see through her imminent lies at the same time.

After a leisurely stroll, she decided to try to appeal to the senses of the more complex side of him. "You did not hesitate to chase me into the portal."

"So?"

"Yet in the past you debated about returning to your friends of the light, even hiding from them."

"What's your point?"

"It is clear to everyone but yourself that you are far more comfortable here in the dark. It soothes you, Riku. It gives you power. The suit you wear is proof enough of that."

He knew that was coming. "I didn't have a choice about it. It wouldn't surprise me if you had something to do with this."

She treated his interruption as if he had remained silent. "I'm certain your friends can see the change in your attitude as well—the calm. Whether the apparel was your choice or not, it fits you well here. I wonder what they will think of you when they see it?"

They stopped walking and Riku peered down into the crevice, brows furrowed thoughtfully. "It's true," he answered at length. "Being in dark places like this did soothe me. It didn't burn like the light did." He looked up. "But that's changed now. I've given up the darkness and I'm _never_ going back!"

With that, he jumped into the narrow mouth he stood in front of. Twisting in midair, he kicked off of one wall and sailed toward the other side. In this way, he performed several fast-paced transitions down the cavern until he had gained enough momentum that when he leapt upward to meet Maleficent he had enough force behind him that he could drive Way to the Dawn point-first into the ground. The resulting transfer of power actually spread out far enough that the witch's dodge did not save her. She stumbled.

Still with his weapon lodged in the ground, Riku spun his legs around, intent on tipping her the rest of the way over. Maleficent swung out blindly then, her staff connected with his legs and countered him. The Keybearer fell flat on his back; his opponent recovered and stood over him, poised to rap him good on the noggin.

"You'll return one way or another," she hissed.

Despite his bruised shins, Riku brought his legs up and rocked back on his hands to shoot upward and kick his feet solidly into Maleficent's ribcage. With a shriek she fell to the ground, her staff rolled from her hand and before she could try anymore cheap shots, Riku ripped his Keyblade from its resting place and dug the tip into her paper-thin skin on her wrinkly neck.

"Face it," he growled. "You're old. You're tired. And now you're at my mercy." He crouched to be closer to her face. "Tell me where Nave is hiding."

"What are you prattling on about, you ridiculous child? I do not know of anyone by that name!"

Riku took a fistful of her black cloak and lifted her torso off of the ground, bringing her face nearer to see the fire in his eyes. "Nave! The guy you hired to kidnap Fae and Violet from their home! Where is he?"

"That cretin?" Maleficent replied, disgust rather than fear in her voice though her eyes showed intimidation from the one before her. "He has not been a member of my partnership since the first time he failed me."

Riku's face showed astonishment. "What—?"

Then a blast of dark energy hurled him off of the witch, stunning her as well since her head smacked the ground after the sudden absence of his grasp.

* * *

"If there are no people here then why do I feel like I'm being watched?" Fae whispered to Axel. "Am I paranoid?"

"No, that's your instincts sending you a warning. Don't worry, I feel it, too."

They were walking along a main street leading outside of town where Axel remembered the forest to be. Grocery stores, gas stations, banks, restaurants, they were all lined up strategically for those passing through to stop by as they made their exit. However, rather than cheerful signs and smiling faces beckoning to guests, the buildings were drowned by a dismal grey from the smoky atmosphere of shadow above. A few windows were boarded up, but for the majority, the businesses were left virtually untouched, as if the owners were just zapped away in a single moment in time. Not a soul wandered the streets. Except for those stalking them, of course.

A hurricane gust of wind blew over them, disrupting balance, disheveling hair, and twisting clothing. Violet's hood blew over her head to block her vision and then, just as suddenly it had arrived, the cyclone subsided. Beside her, Sora let out a disbelieving "No way!" and when she cleared her sight, a menacing man with black braids and piercing blue eyes stood in their path.

"Xaldin!"

"Dilan," Axel corrected.

"Dilan?" Sora repeated in confusion.

"His Somebody's name," the pyro supplied, observing his former colleague's change in attire from the typical black coat of the Organization to a more formal dark grey jacket with gold buttons lining either side of a red heart that had been sewn into the chest. A pair of black boots, grey pants, and a set of white gloves decorated with a silver heart at the wrists completed the ensemble. The uniform of the guard—the garb he had been in when young Lea had first met him.

"So he has a heart now?" Donald questioned their redheaded partner.

"Yeah, just like me."

Dilan sneered wickedly at their aghast expressions.

Goofy fidgeted nervously. "But, gawrsh, if you and him both got your hearts back, then doesn't that mean—?"

"Correct," affirmed a voice from behind them, so calm it almost sounded bored; they all spun to discover another face that was familiar (to some). The grey hair swept over to one side contrasted sharply with the pure white lab coat. In his hand he held a large book that, though it was common of scientists to have manuals, Fae was willing to bet it was of the lethal, uncommon variety. "There are more of us than you anticipated."

"Did your boy there make you think he was the only one?" a third arrival scoffed at them, arrogant yet amused in tone. This newcomer was clad in an outfit similar to Dilan's, only this man sported a bright red neckerchief, dark greying hair, and a trendy eye-patch.

"What's he talking about, Axel?" Fae queried.

"He's right, there's more than I thought there was," came the vague response.

"What…?"

"I don't think now's really the time," said Violet, once again taking on the unusual role of the voice of good sense. Though it may not have been as surprising after all, considering the eye-patch-wearing thug had two guns pointed at them.

"Hand over the Maidens and we might consider letting the rest of you go," the pirate wannabe drawled tauntingly.

"Never!" yelled Donald.

The man shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured you'd say that, but I thought I'd give it a shot. Fine. Have it your way. More fun for us."

"I don't think so!" Sora shouted.

But even though everyone expected him to charge into battle (including Sora, himself) he remained frozen in place. Literally. The teen's feet had been fused to the ground by a trail of ice that had snuck up behind him. They followed the trail with their eyes to the shade of a tree where a fourth man, also clad in a lab coat, was standing protected by a large, blue, spiked shield.

"Not today, Keyblade Master," he cackled in a voice that reminded Fae of a grandma.

_Or grandpa?_

Images flashed in front of her eyes so briefly she didn't catch them, but her ears buzzed with words after they disappeared. _"It was like, Fae and the Seven Mysterious Voices: Timid, Cold, Deep, Soft, Accent, Bored, and Oldy."_

The glimpse of the shattered past was interrupted by the voice of the man with the eye accessory. "Just _chill_ for a while."

Fae and Violet rolled their eyes. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Too much?" They frowned. "Oh well. Maybe I'll just stick to what I do best."

He raised his guns in the air and a tear in the atmosphere yawned above him. He fired a stream of sharp, purple darts into it and then the other end of the anomaly ripped open directly behind Sora, sending the barrage into the side he was unable to protect. But someone was able to give a helping hand—two actually.

Fae's hands jumped between the darts and her friend, throwing up a navy blue shield of sorts. Rather than deflecting or destroying them, though, it caught them like a sticky cushion. Then, the shield took on a half-pipe sort of shape and with a twist of her body, and a sweep of her hands, Fae funneled the projectiles around Sora and back toward their master.

The surprise was evident on the gunman's face, but he didn't appear afraid or threatened. He sidestepped all but three of them which tracked a path from his elbow to his shoulder. He graced her efforts with a small flinch, but then countered it with a cocky grin.

"Well, look who finally turned into a warrior princess! You got skills! " he jeered, plucking the dart from his shoulder. "Too bad you're a couple years too late to do any good."

"We'll see about that!"

Fae's feathers had been ruffled since they first arrived and found no clues to their past. In fact, all they had been met with was ridicule from a snide sort of nonexistent voice, a presence of someone who knew all about them and wasn't going to share the knowledge. Similarly, these mysterious men seemed to know her from days gone by and they sported the same attitude. She had had enough and she proved it leaping at the pirate with orbs in both hands.

Donald and Goofy sprang in to help her when Axel announced, "Hold on, Roxas, I got your back!" and set to melting Sora to freedom. Violet whipped around to fire on the culprit who had entrapped him, but was met by the younger scientist carrying the book.

Violet threw her arm out to shield Kairi and exclaimed, "Run for it, Kairi! He has literature!"

"Yes," he agreed. "I understand it is very intimidating to those who cannot comprehend it."

Violet frowned and looked to her female companion. Cloud had been drawn into battle by Dilan so she instructed the other, "You take Ice Princess. This one's mine."

The boy smirked. "All yours, am I?"

"What's your name?" Violet demanded.

"Ienzo."

"Well Ienzo…" She crouched into her battle stance, light flashing about her fists. "You shouldn't have called me dumb."

"You misunderstand," Ienzo stated. "On the contrary, I know how well you can read, Violet. I was speaking of comprehension of the material. This book is only for unique scholars, you see."

Flipping to a specific page near the middle, he read aloud a few words she couldn't recognize and raised his hand over the page. All at once, scraps of paper exploded from within the binding and spiraled up into a vortex around her.

Her mouth parted in surprise. "Oh…"

* * *

"So we meet again," the Ice Master said.

"I don't know you," Kairi returned.

"No? Perhaps not as you are now, but some part of you recognizes who I used to be…Naminé."

Kairi grimaced as a fretful voice in her subconscious shouted "Vexen!" and a reel of memories in a white castle scrolled before her eyes.

"So _you_ kept her imprisoned!" Kairi surmised, calling her floral Keyblade into her grasp.

The man who was once called Vexen grinned at the reaction and then cackled, "Very good! But can you use it?"

"Let me show you what we can do."

She bent her knees, jumped toward him, and swept her Keyblade at his side. Vexen blocked with his shield, but was surprised at the vibrations that pulsed through to where his hand gripped. Such strength from such a tiny frame! He would have to try a different tactic.

"You're less mediocre than I thought you'd be. Perhaps it's time to even the playing field."

Arm raised straight toward the sky, Vexen called in a cold front that froze the surrounding particles in the air into the shape of a long ice spike. Kairi took a step backward; now his reach was longer than hers.

Her action didn't deter Vexen; with a flick of his wrist, the spike sailed toward her and then he rapidly formed another. Kairi ducked away from the first and rolled away from the second, but the third cut dangerously near her chest and her dodge left her on the ground and vulnerable. Thinking hastily, she called out the first spell that came to mind.

"Blizzard!"

The attack didn't do any harm to her opponent, but the puff of snowflakes obscured his vision long enough for her to scramble to her feet on the other side of him. _That was stupid_, she chided herself. _Use an attack that makes him stronger. Get your head on straight, Kairi!_

She slashed upward and caught the edge of his shield on the end of her weapon. It jerked Vexen's arm upward, exposing his middle at last. This time she used a more effective spell.

"Fire!"

Vexen stumbled, but recovered much more quickly than Kairi had expected. After all, it was the weakest version of the command. He righted himself and dug the bottom of his shield into the earth, uprooting a large chunk before him and covering it in a layer of ice. Kairi figured he was using it to protect himself and skirted around the side of it to attack. She was wrong.

"You imbicile!" Vexen scoffed, shattering the mass with a swift blow and showering the Princess with jagged ice shards and rock. Vexen charged through the aftershock and spun his shield so the spikes on the top came crashing down on Kairi.

In a panic, she cried, "Firaga!"

The resulting fireball connected with the Ice Master's safeguard so powerfully that it blew him back several feet and the explosion flared around the edges to burn holes through the sleeves of his lab coat to his flesh. The problem? Kairi hadn't trained with the stronger fire spells so using just that one had drained her. The way she swayed unsteadily on her feet made that clear to her adversary and he had had enough. He threw his hand up again and called in a stark, freezing wind that wound around his arm.

"Come to me, Ice Blade!"

And come it did. It transformed his entire forearm into a deadly sword of razor sharp ice. He attacked swiftly and drew his arm back, preparing to impale the poor girl. Right as his arm thrust forward, though, two hands reached out to grip him. Sora used the man's momentum and his arm to heave Vexen over his shoulder and across the battlefield.

_Blast!_ The scientist cursed as he picked his face up out of the dirt. The Keyblade Master was free which meant that Axel was no longer distracted. Now would be the time to make their move.

* * *

"You!" Riku snarled as he climbed to his feet.

His attacker had been the same dark being as before, but less playful and in much sorrier shape. It stood hunched over, arms hanging low as if it might bound on all fours if need be. Its skin leaked inky tendrils originating from the deep wound he had given it, almost as if it had been contaminated it with a slow-killing poison. Really, it had—by the same poison that plagued Riku. But this creature wasn't going to fight it. It hissed viciously at him and leapt forward.

Riku swung sideways as it neared him, but it ducked smoothly under his blade. It then countered with a clawed fist aimed toward his kidneys, but he followed through with his swing, spinning and tilting the blade down enough to block it.

The teen dropped to one knee then and swung out with a leg to trip his enemy, but the being fluidly sprung overtop and then kicked upwards at the boy's head as he moved to stand. Riku deflected the foot, but the creature was not fazed and tucked it up under itself to jump over his next retaliation: a Firaga. From the air, it rained down on him multiple blasts of darkness and the boy was forced to roll and run around until they ceased.

It just so happened, though, that he had planned his route well enough so that he was within jumping distance of its leg and he threw it to the ground. That put a pause in the deadly dance for a moment.

"How'd you like that?" he taunted the beast as he placed a sneaker over its throat.

He was thrown off balance when it rolled out from under him. While he was recovering, it slipped around behind him and grabbed him. Riku wrenched his body sideways enough that he could stop it as its mouth neared his neck for a brutal bite, but in his attempt to grab its face, he gripped the hood and jerked backward, revealing the face.

"What _are_ you?" he wondered as he looked down into a semi-humanoid face. Despite its blackened flesh, moon-colored eyes, and snake-shaped tresses of hair, it had a shocking resemblance to—

* * *

Fae was doing fairly well against the man with the eye-patch. Although she was rather clumsy at dodging, even falling over herself a couple times, her swift reflex to shield herself was reflecting his darts left and right. He just couldn't seem to successfully get a bead on her. He almost let out a relieved sigh when a shout rose up among the fray.

"The time has come!"

"For what?" Fae asked aloud.

"For our getaway," the man stated. "You're ours!"

Fae shot a blast of light, but it collided harmlessly with a building in the background, blowing out the windows. Her foe had jumped into a tear in the atmosphere and appeared behind her, sending out a barrage of darts. She spun and blocked them, but before she could return fire, he had dove back in and appeared to her side, repeated the strategy and again escaped her. He was too fast and she couldn't keep up to deflect them all.

A couple darts slipped past her defenses, one skimming her uncovered calf and the other pegging her shoulder, disturbing her focus so that she dropped her shield. The only reason the next stream missed her was because Dilan slammed down into the ground in a cluster of spears that narrowly missed Cloud, but the shockwave hit Fae, knocking her onto her back.

The guns didn't stop firing, however, and Dilan used this to dispose of his obstacle. While Cloud shook off the tumble, Dilan grabbed him by the back of his vest and flung him into the melee of darts. Cloud fell to the ground in a heap.

"Don't kill her, you fool!" Dilan scolded his overexcited comrade who gave a halfhearted apology in reply.

"No!" Fae cried, but as she pushed her torso up to get a better look at her friend's condition, she found that her legs were trapped against the ground.

* * *

Similar in attacks, Violet was working hard to survive the bombardment of Ienzo's magical book. _Death By A Thousand Paper Cuts—doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go._ She had found that the strategy of using a lightning spell and commanding it to circulate around her a few seconds was much more effective than just blasting each paper with individual beams of light.

She sucked in through her teeth when a stray one escaped her and fluttered through the air, making a thin down her shoulder. Shortly thereafter, another curled about her bicep and left a diagonal gash. She erupted into a current again and cleared a path to Ienzo for an attack. But before she could do such a thing, a tornado spiraled up from the text and grew larger, dragging Violet toward its tumultuous winds littered with sharp-edged pages.

As her feet skidded toward the inevitable, Violet shot a light orb into the floating book, hoping to disturb the spell. Instead, though, the ball rode the turning wind around to the other side, catching Ienzo off guard. He stumbled and the book returned to his hands. _Unexpected, but effective._

Then a call rose up above the ruckus. "The time has come!"

A scowl marred Ienzo's normally calm features as he regained his feet. "Let's end this game then, shall we?"

Flipping to a location near to the back, he read aloud a menacing incantation in a long-dead language. A panel appeared before Violet, sort of like a mirror, but the reflection in it was not her—not exactly. A Heartless in her shape stepped through.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" he called to her. "A reflection of your inner self. We have used it before, but not quite like this."

"You're wrong!" she insisted and launched a light orb at it. The Heartless backhanded it away like an insignificant fly. "I'm a Maiden of the World! I am light!"

"True," he concurred. "So the results will not be as excellent as in previous experiments. This puppet will merely return to the pages once it has accomplished its purpose. With no life from your heart, it is but a shell."

Violet kicked at the shadow as it came within range, but it ducked under her leg and then caught the arm she had followed up with in a punch. Before she could think, the shadow had spun her around and put her in a chokehold. Ienzo's smirk faded from view as she was engulfed in a sudden surge of darkness.

"But it will be a perfect vessel for you."

* * *

_I fought harder but already his strong grip had come back and threatened to break my wrists. As a last resort, I brought light to my hands and attempted to blast him across the room. His eyes narrowed and he slammed a knee into my stomach. I probably would have retched had I ate more than a piece of toast for breakfast. _

"_That wasn't necessary," Axel called. _

"_Just end this, man," said a surfer voice off to my side. _

_I clenched a fist, ready to punch the blue haired man but he saw that, too, and twisted my arm, sending me to the floor. My arm was held up straight behind me. _

_I began to cry, not only from the pain I was in but because I couldn't even put up a decent fight. Axel watched in mild surprise as the water splashed onto the floor and my eyes pleaded to him for help._

_Vexen bent beside the arm there was a hold on and produced a syringe from his pocket. I sobbed and closed my eyes. _

That shard of memory was dredged up by the approach of the older scientist. Her bottom half being frozen to the ground, courtesy of him, had left Fae helpless to effectively ward him off as he prepared to stick her with a needle.

"That pyrotechnic pinhead finally did something right," he muttered. "Because of him, we can now resume our work." Fae's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Axel turned toward them just then and a repeat of the scenario flashed before him as well. But rather than Fae pleading to him for help, he was tagged with a heated glare, reminiscent of the last time he saw her.

"You traitor!" she yelled across the battle grounds. "How could you?"

As the needle met her skin, she screamed with all her might, almost a primal battle cry that shot light out from her core, shattering the ice encasing her like glass. But by then, it was too late. Vexen was finished and so was she.

Dilan jumped into the air and summoned all of his lances into the form of a dragon, a "claw" of which hooked into Fae's vest and carried her off into a portal. Before anyone could reach her for aid, Vexen had escaped and closed the entrance. The pirate impersonator was long gone through one of his rips in space and when Axel turned around, the last smoky remnants of a portal were all that was left in Violet's location. That left him with Sora, a dizzy Kairi, an unconscious Cloud, and Donald and Goofy who were not much more helpful than that.

* * *

"Fae?" Riku spoke with furrowed brows. "What _are_ you _really_?"

The creature didn't speak, but smirked a very humanoid smirk, flashing its fangs. It was sinister and Riku was ready to dispose of it before it found its light counterpart, but just then a glow of white sparked in the beast's chest. It released Riku and gazed down at its torso in wonder.

"No…" Riku whispered. "She's calling you."

The creature smirked again, this time devilishly and tore open a portal to make its escape.

"No!" Riku shouted as he ran to pursue it, but just then he heard a second portal open.

Maleficent, who had pulled herself up off the ground and had been desperately dodging both of them during the battle, was making her getaway. Riku hesitated and turned toward her gateway to darkness._ He might never get his chance again. The others could take care of Fae, right?_

He shook his head. They probably didn't know about the dark Fae so that would have to be his top priority right then. He would always be able to track Maleficent down. It was a curse.

With a decided sigh and frown set on his face, he gave chase through the darkness…and promptly dropped out of the other side, landing unceremoniously face-first in the dirt. Shaking off the bump and lifting himself off of the ground, his eyes searched out the black blur jumping through the trees of the forest he had fallen into, no doubt to the lair of its creator. _And Fae... _He would not let anything like what had happened to him happen to Fae.

He had never run that fast before in his life.

* * *

Kateracks: Lots of jumping back and forth, but I hope it kept your attention. Now don't forget to review! If there's anything we've forgotten to tie up, please let us know so it can be resolved.

Arait: Speak now or forever hold your peace. It's almost time for the exciting conclusion!

Laters!

~K&A


	25. Chapter 25

Kateracks: Here it is! Finally the last chapter of From End to Beginning! It's been a long haul and I'm sorry for the wait as usual, but I wanted to make sure this was done just right before I posted it and Cloud, Riku, and Axel had their say about this. It was rough for a little while because I lost my writing streak, but I found it again toward the end. The characters were kind of writing themselves.

Arait: Sorry about the length, too. We wanted to keep our promise of just one more chapter and an epilogue.

Kateracks: We'll post both right now so you can read it in shifts if you want. Or do it all in one sitting, if you have the time. Thank you for sticking with us through all of this. It really makes us feel good to see that people are still reading after all this time. We hope you enjoy the ending.

Disclaimer: After much perspiration, hard work, and determination…no. We still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Just this story.

* * *

Some people say that everything happens for a reason and, although sometimes we may not know what that reason is, we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.

We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.

* * *

Potions were wonderful things—wonderful, but powerful and deadly. They could heal injuries, refresh fatigue, and restore energy to cast spells. They could bring a warrior back from the brink of death with enough desperation to finish a battle or awaken an unconscious Princess of Heart with enough spunk to interrogate a former Organization member. Axel decided he didn't like potions anymore.

Looking like her normal pretty self as the holographic bells chimed above her head and sprinkled glitter into her hair, brightening her pale skin, Kairi found her voice. "She screamed at you. Fae doesn't scream. At anyone. Ever. What is going on?"

"Fae hasn't been herself lately," Axel muttered under his breath.

"Really? We didn't notice," Cloud piped up. "That reaction wasn't from memories lost or tricks of the darkness. She believed you were a traitor. And with your Organization buddies showing up, it's not looking farfetched."

"Buddies?" Axel scoffed.

"What have you _done_?" Kairi demanded.

Axel gave them all a defiantly unrevealing expression. It was returned by a dirty look from Kairi and Cloud. Sora, though, in his usually sincere and guileless way, showed him a questioning gaze and prodded, "Axel…?"

The pyro shut his emerald eyes against the unfortunate resemblance of his best friend and turned away. But the action was futile. The image stayed behind his lids and wheedled away his resolve until he gave in.

He sighed at the soft spot he had acquired and scratched the back of his spiked noggin. "Alright, look, I told you before, all I've ever been is a double agent. It's what I'm good at."

Kairi gripped her Keyblade tighter for the revelation she assumed would reveal he was about to betray them. Axel flapped a hand dismissively t calm her down.

"You asked. The thing is, though, that I keep spending most of my time hosing the bad guys. Guess I'm more of a protagonist at heart…" Sora's smile of approval turned to a sweatdrop when the older male added, "And you heroes seem to have much prettier girls."

Donald let him bask in his jokes for a second and then easily dashed them on the ground. "Any chance you had before with Fae is gone now." He permitted a smirk to come to his bill at the human's expense and then wondered, "How did Nave convince you to come to us?"

"Hey, it's not like I asked," he admitted defensively. "And I didn't accept either. He just gave me an assignment and expected me to follow through, thinking that his supposedly assured victory and hold over my life would intimidate me."

"Gawrsh, a hold over yer life?" Goofy repeated.

It was Axel's turn to smirk. "I was just as surprised as you all were to find out that my ticker was ticking again, but imagine my face when I looked up and found a blonde rockstar wannabe standing over me. Not exactly my ideal wake-up call, and then he ordered me to follow you and find your weaknesses or he'd reduce me to a lifeless corpse again."

"So you've just been stringing us along this whole time?" guessed Kairi.

"_Please!_" Axel drawled. "You didn't think I'd just accept his orders and turn you over that easily, did you?" A few of the looks he received spoke the words that apparently some of them did think that. He didn't blame them; after all, he had killed some of his teammates in the past. "I've been gathering intel on him, too. We're walking into some pretty nasty stuff here."

"We saw," Donald growled, referring to the now undead Organization members.

"The Organization is the least of your worries. Remember those shock waves that kept knocking the wind out of your sails?"

Sora thought back to the battle with the bear on Balto's world and nodded that he did recall.

"That's just the beginning. This Nave guy can control hearts without losing himself to the darkness. If he wants you out of the running, all it takes is just one pulse…" A tongue of flame had appeared at Axel's thumb and at this point he snapped his fingers, leaving it in a small plume of smoke. "And it stops beating. He doesn't even have to touch you in person."

"When were you planning on telling us this?" Cloud questioned him, glaring a threat.

"It hasn't been important until now. He wasn't going to kill you that early in the game. He wanted to study you and gauge your skills so that he can make a statement when he kills you."

"And you let him," the Roxas side of Sora scolded.

"I did. But you learned from it and that was the point. If I had told you all this, you wouldn't have followed the clues and we wouldn't be any closer to defeating him."

"He's right," Cloud acknowledged, pushing himself up and using a tree to steady his footing. "If we don't keep playing along, at least for now, we won't get Violet or Fae back."

"But he's the reason they're gone in the first place!" Kairi pointed out.

"They're safer this way. We won't have to sneak them through the fortress now."

"So what do we do?" Donald asked.

"We stick to the plan," said Axel.

* * *

Breathing like he had a hole in one lung, Riku tipped forward and braced his hands on his knees so he didn't collapse completely. His quarry had performed a disappearing act, but Riku was having trouble seeing any details of where he was. He stood slowly, allowed his equilibrium to settle and wiped the sweat from his face before he examined his surroundings.

"Is Fae in here?"

He had been led to the wide mouth of a cave. There were no distinguishing clues to tell him that this was indeed his destination—moss created an overhanging curtain, dripping water gave evidence of forming rock anomalies, and shifting shapes on the ceiling revealed an extensive collection of bats. It wasn't like he was expecting a big blinking sign, but Riku was hoping for a little more proof of traffic rather than just the Heartless he though had entered. He glanced inside and then around the forest for movement.

"Where's everyone else? Are they here yet? Or did Fae get taken from them?" That sobering thought in mind, Riku made his way into the cave.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dim light filtering in from outside so he felt his way along the walls through winding passages going into the depths and slowly sloping downward. Several minutes into the walk, he thought he had taken a wrong turn because about a hundred feet before him, light shone through a gaping opening in the dark. Had he returned to where he had entered?

It couldn't be. He had zig-zagged back and forth, but he hadn't taken any drastic turns toward the way he'd come. That's when he saw the figure standing in the tunnel before him and he decided that he wasn't wrong. But the being ahead of him was not the slim shape of the Fae Heartless; rather it was taller and bulkier—a male. As the teen neared, flaxen hair shone in the light from the other end and a face started to become visible. Riku recognized that face, but he didn't believe the identity.

"Vexen?"

The man smirked and moved to lead him deeper into the cave. Riku dashed after him intent on not letting another person who knew the way elude him. Vexen turned back to look at him and then Riku realized he had made a dumb mistake.

The cave floor abruptly became old, rotten boards and when the Keybearer ran onto them, they gave a horrible protest underneath his feet. In two steps, he sank up to his thigh in aged wood and then the rest of him followed. He dropped onto a steep rock incline and while he slid helplessly into the bowels of the cave, Vexen's cackle quickly faded above.

While Riku's feet had met the sloping rock with a painful jolt, he was able to keep upright, skating about fifty feet before a stone lurched up in front of him, knocking one foot out from under his weight. The unexpected shift sent him careening into the wall to his right which threw him flat on his back, only it was still steep and he rolled. Head banging, ribs bruising, and vision spinning, it was a miracle that he spotted the stalagmite and he managed to turn himself so that he was on his back with his feet pointed down before his skull smashed into it.

The floor leveled out again so fast that when he met the solid surface, his momentum still carried him forward and he tripped over himself. For the second time since he arrived on that world, Riku coughed through the dust and lifted his face from the earth. It was a new feeling for him. The sense of impending doom was not.

He rolled forward as a saw blade buzzed over his head and then jumped to his feet when a two by two foot square of sharp spikes burst out of the floor behind him. That wasn't all, though, as the ground he had thought was safe and several yards ahead of him were littered with the same tell-tale holes. He leapt sideways toward the wall and gripped a formation as a handhold so he could swing out of the way as the next trap sprung and then he used the walls to bounce back and forth down the tunnel.

Finally, the holes disappeared and he dropped to a crouch. As he breathed and tried to get his bearings, the world came into focus on some rough grooves under the fingertips of the hand steadying him. It looked like something had been dragged across the surface. Suddenly, there was a rumble underneath him and his narrowed vision became reality as the walls on either side of him began to crush in on him.

"Oh great!" Riku growled as he jumped up and sprinted down the quickly dwindling space. "Can't a guy get a break?"

It took only a matter of seconds for the space to close in enough that Riku began to get claustrophobic and in a couple seconds more he could hear his heart pounding in his ears from exertion. Still he pressed his body harder, reaching for an even greater speed. The end of the trap came within view about the time that the walls were nearly grazing his shoulders and he had to turn sideways and sort of hop through the exit, it slamming shut on the heel of his sneaker.

With a bit more effort, he was able to free himself. Through the thumping in his head, he almost didn't hear the grumbling from above him. He looked up just in time to get a head start from the boulder rolling down a slope in the ceiling.

"What? Again?" he cried as he took off running. He was almost out of floor by now; up ahead there was a sudden drop-off into a bottomless pit with the path continuing on the other side of the fifteen foot gap, only it was guarded by axes on pendulums.

"I'm getting really tired of this guy's games," Riku complained to himself and then a thought struck him.

_Tired._ Nave was trying to wear him down before they could even have a confrontation. There was no way out from here; it was just going to be an unending detour. He had to think outside the box.

_Why take the obvious route?_ There had to be another way. His eyes searched wildly—he had only a moment left before he had to make his move. And then he saw it—an opening on the cliff wall of the other side about ten feet down and to the right of the boob-trapped pathway. It was shaded by cob-webs, but he could see a small flicker from within.

"This is such a Sora thing to do. I hope it works!"

Then the floor ended. Riku jumped down into the canyon and aimed right for the opening. A chill wind ripped through the darkness and pulled at him.

An instant later, he crashed through the opening and rolled to a stop flat on his back on the unforgiving stone. He didn't even bother trying to stand or even shake the thick web from his being, instead sufficing to lie calmly and heave oxygen back into his lungs while he listened to the thundering of adrenaline in his eardrums.

Above, the cave grew less dark as it became apparent there were small lanterns mounted into the walls down the trail from him. The floor underneath felt smoother, too, not tampered with. Nothing more tried to squash him.

"I guess this is the right place, after all."

* * *

"That's it?" Donald squawked. "Some lair…"

The entrance Axel had led them to was a slit in the hillside about six feet long and scarcely two feet wide. Disguised from afar by bright green undergrowth and tree roots, they wouldn't have even known it was there if they hadn't been looking for it.

"Maybe there's a basement," Goofy suggested.

"I think Axel just led us to the wrong place," Kairi said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Maybe," Axel shrugged. "This isn't where I was awakened so your guess is as good as mine."

Still, he bent and laid his lanky body out in front of the crack and began to shimmy himself inside. He barely fit, his frame taking up nearly every inch, but he squeezed through.

"You're not going to get us stuck in a tiny hole underground, are you?" Kairi called after him.

"Could happen," came Axel's echoing reply.

Sora laid a hand on her shoulder. "He's kidding, Kairi, give him a break."

Though he had to admit, the idea of being trapped with Nave in confined space under hundreds of feet of rock made him a little apprehensive, too, especially after what Axel told them about his powers. But the Roxas side of him that had been friends with the pyro longer told him to just trust. So he followed after, urging everyone else along.

"Whoa!" Axel's voice said from in front of them and then he dropped out of view. This was because the crack had ended at a wide passageway and he had kind of fall-jump down and clumsily land on his feet to avoid falling on his face instead. "It widens out up here." Sora biffed it hardcore behind him. "You okay, Keyblade Master?"

Sora gave him a thumbs-up as he lay on his back a moment to recover his breath.

"Careful," Axel called back to the others. "There's a—"

Kairi fell next and Axel lunged to catch her. _Did these kids ever look before they leaped?_

"Drop," he finished so that a dog wouldn't fall on him next.

"Thanks for the warning," Kairi grumbled as she squirmed and pushed to get out of his arms. "Put me down."

"With pleasure," Axel responded, loosening his arms and letting her collapse onto her back.

"What was that for?" she snapped.

"Look, Princess, I know you don't trust me—I freely admit that I betray people who trust me with no remorse—but need I remind you that it was the _other_ side? And I kidnapped you, but that was for a good cause and so is this. We're on the _same team_!"

"Are we really?" she demanded, standing and rising to her tip-toes so she would be closer to look him in the eye.

"Kairi…" Sora tried to soothe her.

"I want Fae and Violet safe just as much as you do," he told her, gaze steady against her critical blue one. His voice lowered to a less perceptible level in the reflective walls of the cave. "But I have to admit, my actions aren't entirely selfless."

No sooner had he finished that sentence then a lance came whistling through the musty air. Axel didn't have to turn to know where it came from and he bent a chakram up to block it from skewering his head. His eyes never left hers, but now her expression almost seemed amused rather than chastising.

"I knew it," she responded.

"Well, what can I say?" he said. "He's the only one I didn't get to deal with personally yet."

Donald, Goofy, Cloud, and Sora joined him in battle stances. Dilan called his other five lances to his person and stood at the ready. Axel waved the others away from him.

"He's mine. You go find our Maidens."

They hesitated only a moment, some wondering if he would switch sides once they were out of sight and others deciding that Axel knew his former comrade well enough to face him alone in battle. Sora took hold of Kairi's wrist and was the first to lead the way. Donald and Goofy charged after him with Cloud bringing up the rear.

"Sora, where are you going?" Donald shouted since they were running straight toward Dilan and his very sharp lances when there were clearly much safer paths to take.

Dilan smirked. "Wrong move."

Sora gave him a cheesy smile in retaliation. "Right move."

And right as the Whirlwind Lancer turned to make them a team kabob, Axel appeared before him and slammed him back into the rock wall. The heroes were granted safe passage to the inner sanctum and they made a sharp right turn in the direction where their adversary had come from. Now the fight could begin.

* * *

Fae awoke with a start, not having realized she had been holding her breath. It was only a bad dream. She had been having this nightmare that her body was being devoured by the deepest, thickest darkness she had ever been exposed to. It not only wanted to consume her, it wanted to control every little piece of her. She had felt she was drowning on dry land, her heart slowing, lungs filling, gasping but not getting enough oxygen to survive.

She fought to free herself, but the tendrils only drew tighter with each movement, dragged her down, and invaded her nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. The only thing that kept her head afloat was a disembodied, shining golden hand that pierced through the darkness to cradle her leaden skull. With its reassuring presence, she had finally felt that she could inhale.

Now her eyes peered up at the ceiling of her darkened bedroom and she felt a little silly for being so afraid of what's not real. That would be one to tell Violet. She moved to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but not one part of her obeyed. Wondering if maybe she had slept a little too deeply, she tried again and it was at that point that the amnesia of dreams wore off and she began to register the objects in the room.

Test tubes and beakers with strange colored liquids sat on a cluttered counter, charts lined the rock walls around her, burners encouraged concoctions to bubble up into spiraling plastic piping, and a white coat was draped over a stool. This was not the girls' cabin; this was a laboratory. The door was closed off by a thick covering of ice and she was strapped down on a cold metal table like a runaway experiment.

Panic flooded into her brain and adrenaline surged into her veins, fueling her Fight or Flight Response. She bunched her shoulders on the cold plate and strained against the straps binding her. No success—not even a little give. She tried again, bracing her feet on a counter or something at the end of the table and using every ounce of her strength in an attempt to pull free.

"I would calm myself, if I were you," a suggestion came from the ice door. An opening had formed and, standing in the fresh air coming through, was the blonde man she had remembered had fought Kairi. "You will only do harm to your body if you continue struggling that way."

_I strained against whatever bonds held me, determined to find the source of my pain but I couldn't get free. Any movement only brought more hurt to me._

"_Oh, stop it. You'll only cause yourself more pain." _

_I almost bawled at how calm Vexen's voice was. It was almost as calm as when he was first putting me to sleep for the procedure. I had been so riled up at the time that I didn't focus on his words, only catching the phrase, "You will wake up unharmed in a short time." Somehow, that quieted my nerves since I knew that the result was inevitable but I hardly felt he had kept his promise now._

The flash from the past slipped through her subconscious like a water droplet that then evaporated into nothing. The name danced on her tongue, but she chose not to voice it. She had become accustomed to the nonsensical interruptions to her thought track and she didn't want him to know he had taken up some of that precious space. Instead she posed an important question.

"What are you planning to do to me? Why am I strapped to this table?"

"You don't recall the last time?" Fae narrowed her eyes. "No, I suppose you don't. It's for you protection. You became quite violet during you awakening. But it seems it was not needed and you've adjusted quite well."

"What do you mean?"

"My dear, my task is already completed. We thought I would have to start all over, but it appears that you have retained enough of our past experiments that I have no need to put forth anymore effort than to monitor as you continue to grow."

"Grow into what?"

The man's eyes glinted in the dimness of the room and he stepped away from the entryway to a cylindrical shape in a far corner. The hole in the ice froze over again as he reached for a curtain over the mass and tugged it off. Inside a forest green lighted casing resided a black creature of some kind. From across the room, Fae couldn't make out many details except that it was curled into the fetal position and drawing as much shadow as it could from the area around it and pulling it into its abdomen. However, it did have a strange familiar feeling to her.

"Fascinating, isn't it? You were drawing it." He laughed like a child who had just seen a firework explode for the first time. "I didn't know it existed! We captured it in the labyrinth and brought it here to study but it is so much more sophisticated than your typical Heartless. It followed us without much fight and once it was safely here it began to heal itself." He looked back and simpered at her. "It's feeding off of you, becoming you. Or rather, _you_ are becoming _it_—a Warrior of the Darkness."

He moved over to the counter and resumed his research, all the while muttering excitedly and chuckling to himself. Fae twisted her wrist so her hand was against the restraint and made an effort to go unnoticed as she used light on it. But when she started her usual method to call it, only a sparkly black mist appeared in her palm. Shocked, she shook it away, but she didn't miss seeing the head of the being come up and look directly at her. For the first time, their eyes met; Fae's breath caught and it showed its fangs. The strange thing was, Fae almost smiled back.

* * *

Violet opened her eyes when a drop of cold moisture splashed onto her face and rolled down her cheek. Groaning, she gradually let her eyes adjust to her surroundings before she tried to sit up. She was enclosed by rock on all sides, what served as the front being made up of stalactites and stalagmites that had grown together over time, giving the illusion of a cage.

She slowly sat up and waited for her equilibrium to even out before she pondered the entrapment. Deciding she couldn't squeeze between the "bars" she leaned her head back to follow the origins of the dripping sounds and consider how they had gotten her in. She was surprised to see that a vein of fantastic crystals stretched up far above her, perhaps a hundred feet. Would they have lowered her down by a rope or used a portal and merely found this to be a convenient cell from which she could not escape?

She moved one hand over the smooth stone and her fingertips brushed against paper. Her gaze found a lone page lying beside her. She picked it up and examined the words—most of them were in a language that she could not understand, but one expression finally came into view.

"Doppleganger," she read aloud and then realization morphed her face into a scowl and she threw it across the cell. It floated silently to the floor.

"Oh, sure, now you're harmless," she muttered to the page and then closed her eyes in a prolonged blink. Lanterns had been strung up along the tunnel outside of the cell and the light bouncing off of the crystals was putting stress on her darkness-wearied retinas. When she opened again, the hole with all the jagged facets, colors, and twinkles spun around like a sickening kaleidoscope.

"That darkness is heavy stuff," she said into the stillness.

She received an answer. "Yes, for those not accustomed to it. It is a pity how far you've regressed when you once could control it with little worry."

Violet moved her eyes rather than her entire head to keep the dizziness to a minimum and gave Ienzo an unimpressed look. "You again…"

"How does it feel to be inferior?"

"Why don't you come in here and I'll tell you?"

"Ah, Violet, always ready to incite an altercation; it's good to see you are still the same. But no, I was not referring to myself, but to your long-standing rivalry with Fae. She has at long last embraced her true dark nature and here you are."

"What? Fae?" Violet said laughingly. "She can't even throw a decent punch."

"You are correct, she couldn't for the longest time. But we performed some work on her during our last forgotten encounter which is still showing astonishing results."

Violet narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean 'still'?"

Ienzo stepped close to the cell, his voice taking on an enthusiastic tone. "Our work from years ago is producing change yet today. We had supposed we would have to start from scratch, as it were, but now we need only record the data. Soon she will be willing to answer our commands."

"Fae would never give up the light for you," Violet snarled and reached through the barrier to snatch his collar in her fist. She jerked him into the bars, but he remained dispassionate.

"You truly were the more practical of the two, albeit a little pigheaded about your stance on issues. I told them you would respond this way, but they sent me down here to attempt to convince you otherwise. I see I was correct—you wouldn't respond to any sort of logic. But bear this in mind: Fae has been slowly forced into submission against her will and if you don't consider your odds, I fear you will be next."

Warning in place, he beckoned a hand forward and the page fluttered from the floor and cut through the air between them so that Violet was forced to release the young scientist to keep her hand. If such an apathetic person could look smug at the same time, Ienzo certainly did as he walked the passageway back to wherever he came from. Violet rested her forehead on the bars and then moved away when sliminess seeped into her skin.

"What have they done to her? Fae, give into the dark? Why would she do that just to become a better fighter?"

_I didn't feel sorry for the clone once I got to the training area. Both he and Fae were breathing hard, weapons drawn and attacking mercilessly, never even letting the other catch their breath. Flips, kicks, and punches were included whenever an opening presented itself. They each had their share of cuts and Fae had a bruise on her face where the clone had hit her with the hilt of his sword. And that wasn't all. The smell of darkness was strong, almost too strong for even me to stand. _

_I positioned myself as far away from them as I could and waited for the fight to end. It didn't take long either. It looked like Fae had the upper hand until the clone suddenly jumped back from her. The air seemed to grow thicker and the stench of darkness became stronger. Tendrils began to wind up my legs and I had to use my light energy to fend them off._

"I've got to get out of here," she told herself.

Shakily, she climbed to her feet, legs cramped and stinging as she stretched. First, she jerked and kicked against the rock formations blocking her way, but to no avail. They had been growing together for many years and would not budge easily. She backed up against the far wall of her cell (which wasn't far at all—only about five feet) and called a blast of light the size of a bowling ball to her hands. She pitched it forward and threw her hands over her eyes to guard them from the flash along with any debris from the _crack!_ When she inspected the damage, though, the _crack_ was not from the bars, but from the ceiling where dust now trickled down. Ienzo's faded chuckle came from somewhere down the tunnel.

"Keep laughing, Bookworm," Violet hissed and looked up above her to see if she had brought about her own demise any quicker. A fissure had broken open up the wall and sixteen inches across the ceiling. She'd have to try a less dangerous method or she'd bring the whole cave down on top of herself before she would gain freedom.

It was then that she noticed once more the large crystals jutting out from the wall of the vein…like perfect handholds. _Now how to get up there?_ The prison was tall enough for her to stand erect—ten feet, she guessed, to the opening and the crystals began another three feet from that. There was no way she could jump that high on her own.

She ran through her list of abilities in her head, but none of them seemed helpful, at least not at her skill level. _I'd end up like Kairi did after she used that attack she wasn't prepared for._ She'd seen it happen, but she'd been in the middle of trying not to get cut apart so she couldn't help. The battle passed through her mind and then another attack she'd glimpsed gave her an idea.

The scientist had used his ice energy to coat his arm in a sharp blade. She had never tried it before, but maybe, if she was cautious, she could modify that idea into something to climb with.

Concentrating on the wall before her, Violet made educated guesses on the size and strength needed to pierce deep enough to hold her weight. The rock seemed softer and more porous up higher where the water trickled through the gems than where it had been packed down over time. That would make her job easier. She carefully monitored her breathing and how strong her consciousness was as she worked—If she got lightheaded she'd have to stop so she didn't pass out and look like a fool.

Gradually, three items took form: a long javelin sort of piece and two smaller objects that appeared like garden rakes with wrist straps. They didn't really carry definition like they would for someone who had practice with the process, but for her, functionality was what mattered. Now it was time to test that.

Assuming she could jump two feet vertically, give or take a few inches, she hurled the javelin into an area around that height off of the ground. (If she had remembered that she used to be a cheerleader on this world and was in better shape now than before, she probably would have judged higher for more ease.)

That in place and armed with her new inventions, she ran and jumped onto the makeshift ledge. She steadied herself, scooted to the end, and began to bounce lightly, adding more fervor when it didn't pull out of the wall. With the extra distance added by the springboard, she gained foot when she leaped a second time and slammed her homemade climbing tools into the rock. They stuck and Violet was left suspended while she found places to dig in with her shoes. Not ideal, but it was effective in aiding her up there remaining eight foot climb to the crystals.

"Now comes the hard part," she advised herself.

She couldn't use the rakes here or she was liable to knock sharp crystals down on her head so she would have to go about it another way. She grabbed hold of a long crystal in each hand and gave them experimental tugs before she put her weight on them. Her feet moved up to her rakes and she inched her way in among the deadly jewels.

"I hope I don't fall…"

* * *

Riku was on edge. He had felt like he was being followed since he had entered the maze of branches off of the canyon. At first, he thought it was the shadows dancing away from the lanterns added to his nerves, but as he got deeper and talked himself down from the adrenaline, he decided that was not the case.

Many of the detours from the main path ceased in fatal drop-offs or dead ends. His strategy of leaving a breadcrumb trail of potions had worked for a while—very effectively, he might add, since the glowing liquid acted like road flares—but he was running low and he needed them for fights. So he picked up the ones in the immediate vicinity and, at risk of getting turned around or lost entirely and wasting even more time, he had chosen to stick with the main channel.

Now he came to a large cavern. Somewhere through the thick walls, a water source rumbled. The stone was wet with moisture and a mist hung in the air. He glimpsed a mass move from one of the openings off to his right into the wide open space and knew that he had to make a move. In such a large area and with his vision obscured, there would be no way to see where anything would be coming from.

He stepped forward and turned his back to a solid surface. "I know you've been following me. Show yourself!"

At first he thought that he'd have to go about it the hard way and actually search, but all he had to do was cast a Firaga up in to the air. The fog dissipated for about a twenty foot circle and a blue light was shed. On the very edge of the light, a person stood in silver garments and a long veil draped from head to toe, almost a mist among the mist. No argument came and they approached Riku.

The boy stood calmly in anticipation until the individual stood face-to-face with him. Surprisingly, he didn't feel threatened, his hands only giving a ready twitch when the other moved, but it was only to remove the veil. What lay underneath left Riku speechless.

Feathered blue hair, smart blue eyes, gentle smile—he had seen this woman before. It had been nearly ten years now, but he remembered clearly the day he had met the stranger from another world. She had tasked Sora with keeping an eye on Riku and to help him if he ever got into trouble. But they had never seen her again. What was she doing here?

"You…" was all he could say. It seemed to be the loudest sound in the cavern.

And then another person dropped down from above them. Clad in a brown robe, they blended in with the rock, but when close, golden thread became visible, woven into the clothing. The covering on this one's head came off as well and Riku's jaw dropped. The same day so long ago, he had had another visitor from the outside—a man, built like a gladiator but kind in heart, chestnut hair warm in the island sun, blue eyes full of understanding for Riku's goal to protect his friends. And he had bestowed upon Riku the power to do just that—the power of the Keyblade—a secret he had been charged to keep all this time.

They had seemed so much bigger than him back then and now here they stood, still larger than life. He couldn't believe it. "What are you two doing here?"

"Ah, you know, Aqua and I had to make sure you all are keeping your promises," the man replied, alto voice so real and familiar it almost startled the teen.

"Me and Sora?" Riku asked in confusion because that's all he could do.

"And our young Maidens," the elder confirmed.

"You know about Fae and Violet?"

Aqua sighed and suddenly she looked aged. She didn't acquire wrinkles, but the worn look of someone who had experienced too many trials from a young age. She sat on one of the rock masses jutting from the tunnel and the man assumed a station leaning against the wall beside her.

"So much has happened in just the last few years," she said. "The Keybearers were scattered, the High Council divided, the Maidens of the World fell into the wrong hands…"

Riku nodded in agreement and slid down the wet surface behind him to crouch on his haunches. "So they were taken. I let that happen; it's my fault for putting my problems first and not keeping my promise."

"No, someone didn't keep their promise before you," the male interjected. "He drove the Maidens to the Organization and they were exploited there instead of protected."

"He?" Riku repeated. "Axel told me that he had to rescue Fae and Violet from Nave when Maleficent sent him to capture them."

Aqua nodded. "Yes, but it was Nave's plot all along. Maleficent was his pawn the whole time and she didn't even know she wasn't in control. The Organization put themselves into his plans, too. He didn't have to turn the Maidens over to darkness when that was the Organization's goal."

"How does he know so much about the Maidens?" Riku asked, something clicking in his mind.

Aqua and her partner looked at each other and then back at Riku. "He was once one of the High Council."

Riku crossed his arms. "And what is that?"

The two were silent, debating how much they were allowed to share with him. It was Terra who made the call.

"It's a selection of fallen Guardians."

"Terra…" Aqua interrupted.

He shrugged at her. "He's in this deep. He might as well know what they're up against." Continuing to Riku he explained, "Keybearers, Knights of the King's Court, former Maidens—people who failed in their job to protect the light by falling to darkness or being lost in the destruction of worlds. Those who return to the light are decided upon by the Council. If they're worthy, like Fae and Violet were, they gain a second chance to complete their task, such as the cleansing process they went through that erased their memories of the darkness. Two of our youngest and purest members were in charge of ensuring that process and their safe return to those who could look after them."

Riku diverted his eyes and growled, "They made a mistake with Nave, didn't they?"

"His name was Judaval," Aqua added in. "He was a good choice in the beginning. His sense of justice outweighed his bitterness and he was a mastermind at maneuvering events to aid the light while protecting the world order. But…"

"His past caught up to him," said Terra.

"You've heard the explanation of the Maidens?" Aqua inquired of Riku and received a nod in response. "Then you know that each Maiden must find their opposite and be bound to maintain the balance of light and darkness." Another nod. "Nave was a mage who was raised on a world of darkness. Though he had seen many terrible things, his sense of right and wrong stayed intact and eventually he became the partner of a Maiden."

"But he failed to keep her safe," Terra put in.

"She delved too deep into the darkness," Aqua went on. "He tried to save her, but it was too late. She was killed as a creature of the darkness by a Keyblade Bearer."

"Then he was added to the Council," Riku clarified.

"In short, yes," said the female. "And even though he did many good deeds, he also was able to keep track of the Keyblades. When he came across the Bearer who had killed his Maiden, he murdered that one."

"He had seen the power of the darkness," Terra concluded the tale. "It never really left his heart, nor his determination to pass judgment on the light for what he believes it did."

Riku felt a little sick. The story had a lot of similarities with Fae taking to the darkness while in Castle Oblivion and, never being rid of it, she now had a—

He shot to his feet. "There's a Heartless that was called here by Fae's heart! If we don't hurry, she's gonna be consumed and Nave will have his way!"

"That's the idea," said a new voice. "We wouldn't go through all this work if we didn't need a mindless puppet, but _too bad_…because some meddling Keybearers keep raining on our parade."

"Braig," Terra identified the speaker.

"Well, surprise, surprise, if it isn't our last sucker. Somehow the big man knew you'd be showing up."

"Then why are you here instead of him?" Terra mocked. "Come back to get beat again?"

Braig scoffed and drew his gun. "As if!"

Terra drew his Keyblade, the same one Riku had held when he accepted the responsibilities of the weapon. Riku followed his lead, but Terra stepped in front of him and halted his movements.

"No! You go find Fae and Violet. I'll take care of this…"

Aqua gripped his wrist and pulled him into a side shaft. "This way!"

* * *

"Are you done poking me now?" Fae asked.

The scientist barely took his eyes from his microscope. "If you would take an interest in your condition, you could draw your own blood."

"I'm interested, but not in how much dark content is in my bloodstream."

"It's quite remarkable. You're veins are nearly pumping liquid darkness."

Under normal circumstances that would have frightened her, but she wasn't feeling like herself and she was exhausted. "I'm sure it is, but you still owe me an explanation from my last question."

"Oh yes, I believe it was 'How did I destroy you?', wasn't it? We discovered last time that that required a longer explanation than you were ready for and you dozed off. Understandable considering how much energy you expelled and the transformation you are undergoing…"

"Feeding that thing," supplied Fae. "The thing you unknowingly created with the experiment you have yet to tell me about."

He sighed, meaning that was the part she had slept through. "As I said, you were exceptional in yielding the light, but the Organization didn't need light only, they needed an in between. You could not gain control over the darkness through our lessons so our leader, Xemnas, commissioned Ienzo, then Zexion, and myself to give you a push from a scientific approach.

"We removed some of your light and implanted darkness into your heart. The endeavor was successful and you were quite an accomplished fighter. But it seems the project continued without us."

"What do you mean? No one's tampered with my heart since I woke up from my coma."

"Since you woke up? No. It was while you were asleep. Someone attempted to cleanse your heart of my work and for some time they succeeded. But it seems that your ties to the darkness were too much to bear to live without. I suppose I have to thank Axel and Riku for that much."

"For what?"

The man's eyes shined. "The portal. Without your remembrance of those two nuisances and the ability to make a portal, we never would have been able to track your whereabouts and it never would have revived the seed of darkness we planted. It sprouted with that portal and has been growing ever since. I've been watching."

"Have you?"

"Yes, indeed. We had to make a receptacle for the light we extracted, of course, or else your heart would have repaired itself. But once your light was divided, the darkness began consuming it rather than working in harmony with it. Every time you made use of the light, it weakened a little more and fed the darkness and thus grew that creature. If it is a variety of Heartless, you and I created a new species which is not formed by devouring a heart. You still have yours and you lack a Nobody which means you will merely be super human."

Fae yawned at his excitement. "You make me tired."

"That's the price to pay for science, I'm afraid," he responded.

"But I'm not the scientist. Why am _I_ losing sleep?"

"You're a part of the experiment. You have to participate."

"Even lab mice get time to rest."

He nodded. "Yes, short intervals between procedures. But you are an ongoing experiment so you do not get a respite. However, I have some tea here and I can get you some cheese, if you would like."

Fae raised an eyebrow. "Did Vexen just make a joke?"

The scientist looked her in the eye. "Not Vexen, dear. Even."

Fae quietly pondered the facts to herself and then stated, "But you said you needed an in between, not a dark being."

"That is what the Organization wanted. Nave does not care how he gains control over you. In fact, he'd prefer it this way just to show the superiority of the darkness despite the attempts of your High Council."

"What High Coun—"

She convulsed then and the creature's head jerked up, peering out at her alertly and with a sneer on its face. From Fae's chest rose a sliver of illumination, crystalline in nature, which rose into the center of the room and them promptly disappeared with a twinkle. Even went over to the holding chamber.

"It seems that last effort was just what you needed. It's time for your freedom."

The beast bounded over to its counterpart as soon as the door was released and, standing beside the table, it decided the best port of entry would be the chest. It plunged a clawed hand in and Fae screamed as a bubble of shadow encased them both. Even couldn't see what took place inside, but simply enough, Fae's body absorbed the other so that they united as one humanoid, the orb merely kept any light on the outside from disturbing the process. It dissipated once that was complete.

Yellow eyes opened, serpentine hair came alive, skin blackened, and fangs flashed. It coiled its muscles and pulled hard at the bindings until the ones on its wrists gave way to the power. Her claws made short work of the ones about her ankles.

Then she crouched on the ground before him as a new being, another puppet waiting for the command of a higher authority. "He will want you present. Go find him now."

She let out a spine-tingling hiss of excitement and then vanished. His door of ice shattered as she barreled through it and left deep gashes in the tunnel where she dug in to launch herself it the right direction. Even had a brief moment where one might wonder, "Did I really create a monster and release it?" But then the idea of watching Riku's death took over and he left to find a good vantage point.

* * *

"Sora, do ya know where we're goin'?" Goofy asked through pants from running for so long.

"Away from there," the boy answered, indicating the fight behind them.

"We're away. Now what about Fae and Violet?" Donald demanded of him.

"That would be a lot easier if I could feel Nave's dark power."

Kairi rolled her eyes and looked at Cloud. "Can you sense Violet's heart?"

Cloud opened his mouth to deny that his connection to the Maiden when he saw movement up ahead and admitted, "I think Sora's right."

Sora returned his focus up ahead to find what had prompted the agreement. The confined path opened up into a room with another entrance on either side and one ahead. From the right side, there was a flash of silver and a familiar gait—Sora didn't bother stopping the collision, instead opting for a grateful tackle.

"Riku, you're here!"

"You're safe!" Kairi followed suit.

"Good to see you, too." Riku spit out from under all the extra weight and choking hugs.

Their happy reunion was cut short by a stiff wind that blew through the cave. The sudden change in atmosphere pulled Sora and Kairi away from Riku, less than happy. An evil presence made itself know.

"A great power…" Riku uttered and then gave Sora's shoulder a slap of encouragement. "We need to find the girls."

"It shouldn't be far now," Aqua told them and pointed straight ahead. "As long as we keep following this passage."

Sora and Kairi looked up at her in disbelief, for the first time realizing she was not one of their own and yet…they knew her. How strange to see a familiar face in such unexpected circumstances. And still, she seemed surreal, as if a long lost memory was brought to life.

"How did _you_ get here?" Sora asked of his predecessor.

Riku held a hand up between the two. "It's a long story and we don't have time right now."

"He's right. All in due time, Sora."

The brunette nodded to them both his understanding and then climbed to his feet so he could offer a hand to his best friend. Riku did the same for Kairi and was rewarded with a hug. They had just started running again when he put on the brakes again.

"Someone's missing. Where's Axel?"

"We had some rude visitors—" Kairi began, but was interrupted before she could tell him who.

"Yes, we tried to ask them to leave, but they would not cooperate. I'm afraid now we will have to force them."

Ienzo had arrived on the scene. Riku stared him down with angry amazement. What was going on in this cave? He felt like he had stumbled into his past.

"How many are there?" he asked to no one in particular.

"We've only seen four," Cloud responded. "Axel said Nave has the power to shock hearts into submission."

Suddenly the whole labyrinth around them gave a tumultuous shudder, knocking several of them off of their feet. The way Sora's group had used to enter echoed with a disconcerting boom and then a giant fault snaked its way across the floor. There was a pause and then another quake shook the room they stood in. Pebbles bounced down the sloping walls from the ceiling.

Riku frowned at the damage. "He's trying to make us waste time. Time we don't—Sora…"

Sora fell into his battle stance in front of them, Keyblade at the ready. He grinned at Riku over his shoulder. "Think you can handle this without me?"

Riku didn't like the idea, but the situation didn't allow them to think up a new plan. He knew that Sora could handle it, but he still didn't like how things were falling apart. He nodded stiffly.

Sora turned to Aqua. "Will you keep Kairi safe for me?"

She nodded. "I will."

"Sora!" Kairi blurted. "They're trying to split us up! This is a trap!"

"I know," he said without argument. "But they tried this before and we still beat them."

"He won't be alone," Goofy interjected and armed himself with his shield.

Donald did likewise with his staff. "Yeah, we'll stay here, too!"

Sora grinned at her. "See? Don't worry."

The cavern rocked again and some more rock crumbled, pounding the ground around them and sending up a thick cloud of dust. Ienzo was obscured from view. The heroes gagged.

"I worry," Kairi said between coughs.

Another quake and they were forced to leap to a new location when more sizeable chunks fell down. Sora grabbed Kairi about the waist and carried her to a new spot, but once there, rather than putting her on her feet, Sora dipped her and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. Their friends could nearly see the stars in the Princess's eyes before they slipped closed. Nothing, not the rumbles, not the dust disturbed them and, thanks to Aqua, they were not buried under the next bout of debris. She threw up a crystalline orb shield around them.

She smiled back at the other two boys and the King's men. "Smooth."

Riku threw up his hands. "Finally!" But even under the circumstances, he couldn't stop the smile of approval tugging at his lips.

A moment later, Sora let go and murmured into her ear. "I'll come back to you. I promise."

Kairi looked into his blue eyes, just like the last time they'd been separated. "I know you will."

She stepped away from him and took Aqua's outstretched hand. Riku gave him the look of a protective guardian, but before he could offer a warning, Sora spun and sliced through a stream of pages from Ienzo's lexicon. They took off instead.

Sora glared through the haze at the young scientist. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"I plan to," Ienzo assured him. He put forth a commanding hand and all the page particles sprang back into his waiting grasp, form the shape of a familiar weapon—the very Keyblade Sore held.

The next room held no better surprises for the other team. A ramp-like formation wound up the wall to a ledge above the main level where there was a second entrance and there they found Even entering as well. Aqua decided that would be the lesser of two evils for her to put Kairi against and she led the Princess up to keep the other man busy while Cloud and Riku stayed where they were. Nave stood in the middle of the area and he had their names written all over his hide.

* * *

_This might not have been a good idea_, Axel thought as he dodged down another side channel. Running away? No, he was not. He had a strategy and for the moment it was keeping him alive. In a wide space like they had been in, he was a sitting duck, as evidence by the gouge taken out of his side and shoulder. The lances could come from all directions and Dilan from another, but in a smaller shaft, as along as Axel kept ahead of him, the attacks could only come from one way and he couldn't create his Metal Dragon of Doom or whatever it was.

A lance zipped past his ear and impaled the wall in front of him. He stopped short and ducked under, taking a sharp right. The rock thinned, developing holes that grew into bars like a guardrail to keep him from careening into the crevice on the other side. Then suddenly, he dropped to his knees as a gas burst from a crack in the opposite wall. Scrambling to his feet again, he started to run, but then an idea struck him and he flattened himself against the surface.

Dilan arrived moments later and was blinded by the mist. Through the yellow fog, though, he could see part of a shape—dark and spikey in parts. He smirked.

"You'll have to find a better spot than this to cower."

Warning issued, he called a strong breeze from the canyon on the other side of the bars and blew the gas down the tunnel. This action revealed that the shape he had seen which he thought was Axel crouching was really rough crystals growing out of the stone. A spark ignited down the hall and Dilan knew he'd been had.

The spark from Axel ignited the flammable gas which billowed back toward its origin like a flamethrower. Dilan was caught in the path and by the time Axel sauntered over, the wind master was badly burnt, taking heaving breaths around the deep wounds in his chest and face where his hair was now lacking.

To his credit, Dilan made one more honest effort at beating him. But as the lance swung his way, Axel jumped over it and gripped some handholds in the low ceiling. From there, he was in perfect position to kick both feet solidly into the other man's chest and sent him falling straight through two of the bars and down into the gully.

As he stood there until his opponent vanished, a chill ran up Axel's spine and he turned just in time for a rush of black smoke to blow over him and out into the vast space of the chasm. Once his vision cleared again, a horrible truth came to him.

"I've felt that surge of darkness before…"

A maze awaited him ahead and behind. He really should have been drawing a map in his head, but he had been too busy trying not to turn into a kabob. He really was left with no sense of direction to catch up to where his companions had gone. But a rumble beside him urged him to keep running on his current course, particularly when a portion of the wall beside him exploded and gushed torrent of fire.

"Uh-oh," he said, realizing that his fire had followed the gas all the way back to its source. He was going to bring down the whole cave! Roxas would not be happy with him.

In front of him, the way divided into a 'T'. He rounded a turn to the left and had to jump through a plume of fire from a vent that split the floor and then fall into a roll so he didn't face-plant. Luckily for him, both walls had become solid so he wouldn't roll himself into a gorge. As the ground steadied, he decided to sit against the wall and rest. This falling and rolling stuff was for the birds (and Sora) and he was used to being more graceful than that.

_Where to go?_ He hadn't been this way before and there was no way he could try to retrace his steps with the tunnel behind him blown out. _Darnit!_ Sometimes his pyro tendencies really got him into trouble. He should have been given a less dangerous power like mind control, metal, or radioactivity. He smirked and leaned his spikey noggin back against the cool stone.

"Yeah, but what would the worlds be like without a pyro like Axel?" he said aloud.

And then his brow creased. Above his head were five deep marks and a foot away from those were five more, as if a pair. He looked down the passageway and saw identical marks had been made on both sides plus the floor and ceiling at equal intervals of about four feet. Looking the behind him yielded the same results. He stood then and examined it further. _Five lines, the inner ones being shorter than all the rest and fanning out in other lengths…five fingers…_ Curious, he raised his hand and matched the lines to his digits. If he had had the claws of a wild beast it would have been an impeccable fit.

_Where there's monsters, there's mad scientists dying to take the credit._ Making an about-face, he followed the markings back to their beginning.

* * *

It was obvious when they neared Nave that he was angry. The air grew darker and hotter, almost smothering aside from the normal malice in any evil being's lair. That all being apparent, he seemed quite unconcerned and smug when he turned to greet them.

"Well," he said. "You've found me. Now what do you plan to do with me?"

"That depends. Where are Fae and Violet?" Riku demanded.

"Always so simple-minded," Nave mocked them. "The picture is so much bigger than those two girls—and you as well, for that matter."

"I know all about the High Council and how you're seeking revenge on them," Riku snapped. This was news to Cloud, but at this point, he figured it would be better to get filled in later. "You'll have to finish that without us. Where _are_ they?"

"I'm imagine getting used to their new skins. But I'm certain you guessed that."

Riku's face went ashen so Cloud asked, "What do you mean?"

"My quest for revenge. First and foremost, I will turn the Maidens to the darkness and use them to kill every last member of that corrupt Council. And only then can I start building a new universe where the worlds are eaten from the heart out and plunged into despair. The citizens will all become mindless equals—puppets of the darkness who bend to my every whim. All of those who stand in my way will become my servants or newly marked graves. The Princesses I will turn into trophies contained in glass cases in my fortress walls."

He sneered maniacally at their burning stares. "Finally, once all this is completed, I will kill the Maidens as well, or perhaps, should I feel the need for a queen, I will keep one under my hand. That will be one of the last decisions I make as I'm rather impressed with both of them."

By that time, the two boys were fuming and together they barked, "Shut up!"

"I thought you might say that. So then…let's begin the process right now, shall we?"

Cloud and Riku accepted the invitation, eliminating the distance between they and their opponent in an instant, crossing over in front of each other, and attacking from opposite sides. At the same time as Cloud swung into Nave's chest, Riku jumped behind him so that when he was knocked back, RIku was there to slam him into the ground. With a smirk, Riku passed Cloud a thumbs-up. They made a pretty good team and they never even had to say a word.

"Do you feel accomplished now?" Nave asked of them and the boys felt their pulses quicken. He had taken two direct hits and didn't sound pained at all! "I thought it would be sporting of myself to allow you to first hit. It will be the last that you do."

His palm smacked the ground and a shock wave rippled out with enough force to throw them well out of range to hit him. Subsequently, a wall of blue and black fire surrounded Nave twenty feet high.

"That's great," Riku scowled. "Right after we get rid of Axel."

"Let's try something else," suggested Cloud.

With a yell, he made a vertical slash through the wall of fire, his energy countering Nave's enough to form a gap. Riku used the flat of his blade as a springboard to get enough lift over the shock wave pulsing toward the outer ring and come down on Nave from above. Their opponent merely raised a hand to fend him off.

Suddenly, Cloud remembered what Axel had said about Nave being able to stop a person's heart and he leapt after the teen. When Riku neared enough that Nave felt threatened, he released a pulse that would have collided with the Keybearer's chest had Cloud not jerked on his leg and altered his position. Unfortunately, they were both grazed by the attack.

Cloud landed roughly on his knees, splitting the legs of his pants open and giving him a nice bruising along with his shortness of breath. Riku met the rock on his front with the grace of a one hundred and fifty pound sack of flour. He lay there, sucking air in violet gulps and choking, unable to get enough oxygen, nor regulate it with his heart in such an erratic frenzy. If Cloud hadn't saved him, he was sure it would have imploded.

While Cloud rushed back into battle, Riku had to slow down the getting up process. First, he had to get his jelly arms under himself and push his torso up so he could get his knees under him. He didn't look up, instead keeping his eyes down until the color returned to normal and everything stopped spinning. Only then did he feel comfortable with pushing back into the fight.

Or he would have, had he not had this heaviness still about his shoulders. No, something was pushing on him! His face met stone again as some force shoved against his shoulders. When he lifted up again, he glared at the dark creature crouching level with him.

"There you are," he acknowledged it. "I've been looking for you. Done hiding?"

"It's about time!" Nave shouted from across the battlefield while he deflected Cloud. "Kill him!"

It hissed at the teen and took a swipe at his head. Riku leaned back and the claws cut close to his face. But something caught his eye—a charm band around its bicep. That hadn't been there the last time they fought. In fact, the last time he saw it, it wasn't a sleek obsidian color, but…gold…

"You're…Fae…?"

Her lips curled back in a snarl and she sprung toward him, claws forward. He flopped onto his back and kicked up, meeting her in the gut and sending her over his head. He then scurried to his feet and whirled around, only to have claws slash the side of his face.

He took a half-step away and caught the arm, heaving her over his shoulder and across the room. It would have worked, too, had she not likewise gripped his arm and dragged him over backwards so that the only thing that kept his head from slamming the ground were their locked arms and bent legs. The snake hair, sidewinding in the air, was close enough to his face that they could strike at his face, nipping little pinpricks in his skin. It was just an annoyance, but it distracted him enough that their host smirked mockingly at him and twisted so that his feet came out from under him and he fell toward her. She used his own weight against him and flung him at the wall.

_No problem._ His feet found solidity and he shot back the way he'd flown…only to find she was no longer there. Air rushed above him and his swift look upward showed her diving down on him, feet first.

_She's fast!_ Riku rolled in midair so that she missed him by inches, but the explosion of stone from the impact still flipped him. He leapt to his feet and the next thing he knew, she had wrapped her legs around his waist. Hands clenched on his shoulders, she reared back and prepared to bite down on his throat.

A foot came out of nowhere and crashed into her head so hard that when it snapped to the side, her body went with it. A light ball whizzed past them both and collided with Nave so that Cloud could get a chance to make contact. Riku was so stunned by the intervention that he almost didn't recognize Violet standing before him.

"I was going to say that it's good to see you alive, but that's thanks to me," she greeted him.

"I had her right where I wanted her."

"Not in this context, I'm sure. You can thank me later, Lover Boy. Nave did this to her and he knows how to fix it. Go beat it out of him."

Riku hoped that she didn't see what Nave had just done to _him_.

* * *

_No Even here_, Axel almost sulked as he stepped through the hole in the tunnel that had been converted into a laboratory. Still, there was a lot of interesting information within, if only he could find how to help Fae in all of it. Upon entering, he noticed a cylindrical containment chamber to his left and a counter of sorts holding beakers and burners and all the typical amateur chemistry set elements that Axel remembered from Vexen's lab. Along the right side was a metal table with straps that had been ripped to pieces.

Axel ran his fingers over the cool surface and could almost hear Fae's screams rise up to meet him as her body was torn apart by the darkness and then the abrupt calm of losing all feeling and emotion. He remembered vaguely the process of becoming a being of the dark. There had to be something in here to help her.

He made a scan of the room again and then his eyes fell on the lab journal. With Vexen's scrawling handwriting he couldn't read most of it, but some notes had been scribbled down in a neater font—probably Zexion's. These ones were at the points when Vexen would have been up to his elbows in equipment. They explained studies on Heartless, the types of hearts they devoured and what became of the hearts. The results? The light encased in the hearts that were consumed for want of being whole once more was protected from the dark of the Heartless. Though the hearts could not rebuild their Somebodies for being trapped, they were merely carried by the Heartless shell, not destroyed once the person was overcome by the dark.

Then came Fae's experiment. A being of light, they had to find a way to implant darkness. The best way would be to remove some and replace that with shadow.

"The light could not be destroyed," Ienzo's most recent entry read. "It maintained its form. Thus the only thing we could do to keep it from driving out the element we added was to hold it outside the body. We created a containment center for this very objective. But then results were more than we imagine. As the subject used her light powers, they weakened and the dark was slowly able to dispose of its opposite until all the light was trapped away from annihilating the deepest darkness that was the byproduct remaining."

"Fae's pure light could fight off the darkness," Axel clarified. "If only it wasn't contained."

His eyes lifted then and glanced at the chamber in the corner. It was built to hold the light, but why wasn't the heart inside now? He searched the device over, but the only compartment he could see was the big one which was empty. He slammed a fist against the top…and a panel popped open. Inside was a jar with a white, crystalline heart floating inside…

* * *

_One, two, three, four, five six…_ Riku jumped over another shockwave and pivoted to shield himself from a freezing fireball. He hadn't thought it was possible for fire to be both burning and icy at the same time, but the wounds on his thigh and upper arm stated otherwise. As he ran in toward Nave while Cloud approached from the other side, this strange cold was creeping into his bones. But he couldn't slow down, not if he wanted to keep his heart beating.

Since he had left Violet to distract Fae, his feet had hardly touched the ground at all. He couldn't always keep an eye out for the waves along the ground, but he discovered that if he jumped every six seconds he could miss most of them. It was the pulses through the air that he was more worried about. And not only that and the fire, but Nave also had a stash of knives in his long coat if the boys ventured too close.

Even through all that, though, Nave was not invincible as indicated by the cuts across his back and torso. But what could they really use against him? Riku's Firaga spells were useless and his and Cloud's blades could only go so far as long as they were forced to retreat as soon as they were within striking range.

Cloud slashed horizontally and Nave bobbed away from him, retaliating with a knife, planning to gut the warrior from chin to pelvis. As Cloud was finishing his move, he would have been open to it, but Riku shot in and tugged his partner back. A Lightning spell trailed across the ground at his heels and cracked through the air. Nave shouted when the voltage met his body and rained fire down on them. Cloud deflected it with his sword and Riku with his shield. But so preoccupied were they that they forgot to keep counting.

_Five…Six…_

The wave blew their feet out from under them and the next pulses that skimmed them threw them back into the wall of fire. Cloud's leather armor saved the majority of his back, but the attack still blazed over his uncovered arm and across the back of his neck. He fell to the ground cradling his wounded appendage. Riku, on the other hand, was not so lucky as his cloth shirt and vest provided hardly any protection and his entire back became victim. He was getting really tired of landing face down, but at that point, he was in too much agony to tolerate the alternative.

"Riku," Cloud alerted him and slid a potion into his hand while he readied his sword to protect the younger. But it was too late. He couldn't stop the shockwave from Nave's outstretched hand.

"Die," their adversary growled.

Before he could release it, however, he was blasted across the battlefield by a stream of light. Violet had saved them once more.

"Get up, Cloud!" she ordered right before she shrieked and the Heartless jumped on her back.

"Violet!" Cloud yelled.

Her head was ripped back and the shadow of their friend prepared to slash her throat. But, thankfully, someone else had Violet's back. Cloud had never been so happy to see the pyro.

Axel gripped Fae by the scruff of her neck and tore her off of Violet before any blood was spilled. Violet collapsed into a coughing heap. Axel held the Heartless off of the ground so she couldn't get any leverage on him.

"Hey! Missing something?" he taunted it, holding the jar containing the heart in his other hand.

The yellow eyes widened considerably and it hissed savagely at him, pitching a fit. Though his arm was being shredded, Axel remained steadfast in his decision and smashed the jar on the hard stone. As the heart floated upwards, he caught it carefully in his palm. The creature he was not so gentle with and slammed it to the ground where he pinned it with his legs and arm over its throat.

"No!" Nave roared and threw a fist forward with all the speed and strength he could muster.

It wasn't enough. Axel pressed his hand firmly against her chest and forced the heart to return to its home. It reabsorbed a little more easily than it was taken and then the Heartless began to shake violently. Cracks formed in its black exterior and light started to seep through.

"Axel!" Riku warned him.

Though he knew it was coming, Axel was still a little shocked at the force with which the pulse hit. He toppled sideways off of Fae and all the wind was knocked from him when he hit the ground, not to return. He felt his heart speed up to an unimaginable rate and when he tried to draw in a breath, he felt a strange pop and then his heart slowed until it quit altogether. His vision went black before Fae's body burst into a pure white light, shedding her Heartless shell.

Her friends had to hide their eyes from the brilliance, but Fae's awakening experience was not so pleasant. She was face to face with a lifeless Axel, his emerald eyes rapidly losing their mischievous luster. Immediately, she knew everything and she rushed to her knees so she could shake him frantically.

"Axel?" she called to him, willing his life to return. "Axel! Please don't—! Axel! Come back!"

"Good riddance. He was a mistake from the start," Nave grumbled and then summoned a squad of Heartless and a lone Dusk. "Return that heart to me."

The Heartless didn't stand a chance. The aftermath of Fae's transformation had left enough residue in the air that a few bursts disposed of the entire squad. The Dusk, on the other hand, didn't move from before its master.

"I gave you and order," Nave snarled at it, but was ignored. "Fine. I will harvest it myself."

Then the Dusk sprang to life, wiggled through the air around the attack Nave made to dispose of it and then circled his head so he couldn't see. Riku moved his head just enough to see the action and he knew right away why it wouldn't listen. _Brand…still protecting his little sister…_

The glare that Fae Nave's way, even through her tears would have been intimidating enough. But it was when she rocketed from her sitting position and through his barrier of fire unscathed while coated in a shell of illumination that he felt nervous when the Dusk moved away. Her next words, inches from his face, were chilling.

"Your fate is sealed."

Her fist met solidly with his jaw and a roundhouse kick set him off balance. Her light blast caught him in the chest and blew him clean over. His yellow eyes met her steely grey ones—yet clouded from dispersing darkness and with inky trails left on her cheeks from crying—and he knew his end was nigh.

"You wanted a warrior that would meet your expectation in skill. What better choice would there be then one who could destroy you?"

A bright sphere lighted her upturned palm and lifted into the air above them before splitting into beams that scattered around the room, bouncing off the walls and floor until they all collected back at her feet. He had been caged.

"Farewell."

Light rushed down her frame and coursed along the pathways of the cage. Nave was pounded from every angle with no escape. Struggle though he may to fight off the barrage with every dark attack he knew of, he eventually had to submit to the purity that stripped him of everything that he was. Even while he screamed in protest and defeat, an abnormal calm came over him as the cleansing attack that rocked his body subsided. Limp, he collapsed on the stone with finality.

* * *

Below that battle, another raged on until Nave's death. There was a pause in Braig's movements and he gave Terra a strange look. The Keybearer didn't think anything of it as he unleashed a finishing attack that sent Braig into a wall. He slid down the wall and did not move again. Terra was almost shocked by the abrupt end, but that meant his friends had succeeded! He made a quick exit as the cavern came down around him.

* * *

In the next room over from the fight with Nave, Sora had just blocked a hit from Ienzo's fake Keyblade and had shoved him backwards. Sora prepared to land a blow of his own, but there was no need. Ienzo looked somewhat sick and then he promptly collapsed and didn't get up. Sora took that as a sign that Nave's control over his heart had ended forever and took his leave.

* * *

Above the battlefield, Aqua and Kairi had unleashed a flurry of blows that backed Even into a wall. Since he was trapped, they stepped back to recover for their next attack, but Even looked too exhausted to continue. He stumbled toward them just as the cave heaved around them and a large boulder separated from the ceiling and crushed him underneath of it.

* * *

When the blinding light faded, Fae was left staring at the remnant of their former great adversary. Shimmering particles rained down around her, showered her friends, revived energy, eased aching muscles, and healed wounds. Kairi and Aqua made their way down from the upper ledge and joined the spectators around the fallen villain. Brand even stayed swaying nearby. Cloud helped Riku to his feet and the teen moved in to where he could touch the Maiden. He almost fell backward when the ground lurched upward underneath them.

"Fae, we can't stay here any longer."

"But…Axel…"

"If we stay, we're going to be buried with him."

"Hey guys?" Violet called to them. "We've got a problem. He's still alive."

Confused since they could all clearly see that Nave was no moving, they turned to the other Maiden. She had the arm of a redhead that was supposed to be dead slung over her shoulder and was hauling the corpse to its feet. Only, it wasn't a corpse at all!

"He's not doing the best, but he definitely doesn't want to be buried with that guy for eternity."

"Axel?" Kairi couldn't believe it.

He raised his hand in a pathetic wave. "Present."

"Axel!" Fae cried and before he was even standing properly, she leapt on him in a bear hug, his neck growing wet with fresh tears.

"Hey…Glad you're back," he murmured into her hair, stroking her back as best he could. "Thanks for stitching up the hold in my heart for me."

Violet steadied him from behind when Fae hugged him harder, letting out laughing sobs. Sora and Terra ran in on the scene. Sora sidled up to Riku.

"What happened? I thought you and Fae were gonna end up together?"

Riku gave him a sidelong look. "Let him have a moment."

Terra did not agree. "Aqua, this entire cave is coming down. If we're taking him in for judgment, we have to go _now_."

"There's a tunnel up that way. It's closer to the surface," Aqua informed them.

Terra threw Nave over his shoulder and the group hurried toward the opening. They reached it just in time for a boulder to block it. Terra was not deterred; he summoned his strength and sliced clean through the blockage. But it wasn't that simple. Behind that one huge boulder, the four more large boulders stood in their way.

Riku met Sora's eyes. They could do it—together. They stood side-by-side and took on the same posture, holding their Keyblades beside each other. Then, in fluid motion, they both moved the same way, spinning on way and making slashes and then whirling the other way to make carves at another ankle. Lastly, they drove the Keyblades straight down through the mass and all of the diced pieces fell forward, revealing the rest of the passage.

It was still blocked. The rest of the way out had collapsed in as well and with as much energy as they had used to fight their adversaries and now do that one finishing attack, they would not have enough to demolish their way through the remaining tunnel. They were still trapped.

"Back the other way," said Axel.

"It's blocked, too," Sora told him.

"Besides, we have to go into a lower level and back up," Terra reminded them. "We'd be crushed before we could get out."

"It's hopeless!" Donald squawked.

Goofy hugged him in fear as the ceiling began to fold in behind them.

"This isn't fair!" Kairi complained. "We're all united again, only to die?"

"I'm not for that at all!" Violet snapped. "I say we blow our way out! We all know fire spells!"

"That's…kind of…what triggered the cave in," Axel admitted sheepishly.

"_What?!_" She pushed him away and he met the roughly met the floor.

"Hey! Mostly dead guy here!"

"Thanks to you, we're _all_ going to be _totally_ dead guys!"

Riku spoke from Fae's side, "I didn't think I'd go like this. I thought it'd be during a big battle or by a Heartless. Maybe even drowning."

"You defied all of those things today. What's next on the list?"

"Old age."

Fae gave a small smile. Even in the face of death, she'd be fine if she went down with her friends. She didn't have the chance to choose a successor, but now that she was pure again, she had kept her promise to the worlds and could go in peace. Wait…maybe there _was_ one more thing she could do…

"I didn't get the chance to find the perfect time to tell you, but…"

His touch was gentle and inviting, even when he pulled her into him and rested his hand in the small of her back. Her eyes flicked to his and the corners of her lips tilted just the slightest bit upward. A piece of the ceiling crashed through the floor right next to them and Riku hurried to deliver his message before the end. His lips met hers.

Voices were shouting their names as the floor began to crumple and then everything faded into a warm, white light.

* * *

Kateracks: Keep going! You're almost to the end!


	26. Epilogue

Kateracks: Read on! Almost to the end now!

Disclaimer: I'm tired of repeating myself. It's like a broken record. The answer is still no.

* * *

Maleficent had been wandering in the dark too long. That feeling was worrisome, even for someone as experienced as her. But she wasn't about to admit that she was worn down and a little sore from the skirmish with Riku.

Was that her imagination or were there soft footsteps approaching? Abruptly, her feet came out from under her and she hit the ground so fast she was unable to catch herself. She was then rolled onto her back to stare up at the very devil she'd been thinking of. It seemed like the mere thought of him brought him biting at her heels like an obnoxious little dog.

He skipped right to the chase. "Now we can finish this for real."

She tried to be sweet, but she didn't know how long she could keep it up as she was quickly growing tired of this line of reasoning. "Riku, you foolish boy, we've been through this time and again. You cannot be rid of the dark forever. You need it. You need me."

"You're right about one thing," he admitted. "I can't be rid of the dark, I see that now. But I learned that that is part of who I am today and I have to stay this way to help maintain the balance. But I learned something else, too: that the deepest darkness cannot consume you as long as there is even a fragment of light in your heart."

"It sickens me to hear you say that."

"You should be thankful for what I'm going to do to you. I won't kill you, but I bet for someone like you, it will be a punishment worse than death."

Maleficent tried to appear casual. "Whatever do you mean?"

Riku stood from his crouch and held the tip of his Keyblade over her chest. "I'm going to do the same thing you did to me. '_Help_' you." A light shot out of his blade, needle thin and just as sharp, so that it pierced straight through her and hit the ground on the other side. A little patch of light spread out on the blackness of the surface and Maleficent's cloak briefly before fading.

"That light will wear away at your darkness, slowly eating you from the inside out," he explained. "Who knows? It may still kill you. But if not, no matter how hard you fight it, you'll become the very thing you don't want to be."

"And what will happen to you then?" she quizzed him.

"Wait and see…"

He smiled just a little. Not so much at her, but at the fact that he had accomplished his goal and now he was free to become what he wanted to be. With that thought in mind, he was engulfed in a white light and disappeared. Maleficent was left to lie in pain, feeling a warmth spread over her in a way she despised.

But then another familiar pain in the neck entered the scene. Perhaps this one could be used to her advantage. "Why, Pete…"

"Well, look who it is. Good ting I found you. We gots a lot to discuss," Pete taunted her, pounding his fist into his open hand.

Maleficent feigned innocence. "Discuss? About what?"

"My family." Maleficent gave him a tiny look of surprise. "Yeah, dat's right. I know dey're alive. Nobody, absolutely _nobody_ pulls da wool over dis cat's eyes 'n' gets away wit it, see?!"

"My dear Pete, how could I ever have known?"

"Save it for da judge, Maleficent. You used me! 'N' now you're gonna pay da price…"

* * *

Terra carefully laid Nave on the floor in front of the Council. Many unknown faces peered down from the elevated seats while there were a few he still recognized, such as the golden haired girl with the silver eyes and her companion, the snow-haired, golden-eyed boy who had been in charge of decontaminating Fae and Violet. One familiar gaze in particular caught Terra's attention—that of his former master, Eraquis. He was the speaker for this certain meeting. His face, now smooth after his restoration, softened as he looked down on his two students and then sympathetically toward Nave. He spoke to the Keybearers when he announced the ruling of the Council.

"He has paid his debt and, with respect to our Maidens, he has been made clean. The Council has moved that this tortured being should finally be laid to rest."

Two figures in hooded white coats came forward and picked up the body to move it to the proper burial location. Eraquis then issued a command to the two messengers.

"Aqua and Terra, you have earned much gratitude for what you have done on our behalf. We now ask that you take this time of calm to recover in preparation for your next assignment."

The two bowed and took their leave. As they walked the halls together, they breathed sighs of relief. Another storm would be coming soon enough, but for the moment they could rest and enjoy the calm. They were as they should be: pure.

* * *

"Do you have to go?" Fae asked, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"Have to?" Violet repeated. "No. I want to. Cloud's been chasing this Sephiroth guy by himself for long enough. I figured he could use some company from now on."

Fae nodded her comprehension. That was as close as Violet would get to admitting her feelings toward the warrior. _For right now, at least._

"And with the King's blessing," Violet went on. "We get a ship so we can come visit you on the Islands whenever we need a break."

"Ready?" Cloud inquired as he walked by them carrying the last of the provisions.

"Yeah." Violet followed after him and Fae walked her to the hatch.

"You'll stick together and take care of each other, won't you?" the redhead said.

"Yeah, we're a pretty good team." Violet boarded the ramp, her gait not showing her hesitation.

"Have a safe trip."

Violet turned at the top. "You, too." Fae looked at the ground to hide her agitation, but the other still saw it and reassured her, "Don't worry, he'll come for you."

"How do you know?" Fae asked as the hatch began to close.

Violet smiled. Who knew her teeth her white? "We're bound to our darkness, right?"

* * *

"What? Don't think you'll get enough sun on the beach?" Sora poked at Axel. He had spied the pyro lounging in a homemade hammock from the hallway to the throne room and had wandered out to the garden to join him.

"Hey, I'm still healing."

"You're gonna milk that as long as you can, aren't you?"

"I think I've earned a little R 'n' R! Besides, we don't know how long I'll be at the Islands. It's only temporary until the King gives me a good recommendation for Keyblade training with Yen Sid."

"_If_ he gives you a recommendation."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

Sora chuckled and pushed on the underside of the hammock so that the elder flipped out. Axel tried to glare at him, but from the cushion of grass and blanket of flowers, it wasn't all that intimidating. And the image he saw of the blonde-haired boy he knew grinning smartly at him didn't help either.

"You remind me of someone I used to know."

Sora laughed. "You know what I could really go for? Some Sea Salt Ice Cream."

Axel smirked. "From what I hear, the King fancies it, too. Let's go raid the kitchen."

"What do I feel like we've done something like this before?"

* * *

Max used his shield to block the Blizzard spell that PJ cast at him. Donald quacked angrily and stomped his foot.

"No, no, no! You're supposed to cast Stopra!"

"Why do I even have to use a spell when I have my shield?" Max responded. "I'm going to be a knight, not a mage!"

"Now, now, Max," Goofy chided his son. "Magic's important, too. Donald's saved me and Sora lotsa times with his Curin'."

"Nothing sucks more than being flattened by a Gravity spell because you can't counter it," Brand pointed out, casting said spell down on the knight. Goofy blocked it easily with his shield.

"See? Dad's using his!" Max pointed out.

Donald ruffled his feathers. "Brand's still a beginner! He's on different lessons than you!"

Goofy waved a calming had at his friend. "Just remember, Max, if yer not prepared to use a spell, you might fall asleep in battle and end up like Princess Kairi. Right, Donald? A-hyuck!"

Donald chuckled to himself.

* * *

"Achoo!" Kairi sneezed into her rag. "Sorry about that, Gadget."

"Gosh, somebody must be thinking about you, Princess Kairi. Maybe Sora?"

Kairi blushed and busied herself with washing off the springs and cogs from the Gummi Ship they were repairing. While they were still at Disney Castle, Sora had suggested getting someone to learn about the mechanics of the ships, just in case they had trouble mid-flight on the way home. Kairi had volunteered. She liked Gadget and enjoyed learning about something outside her comfort zone—something few people knew about, even the boys she was friends with!

"Maybe it's just all this grime…"

"Maybe," Gadget agreed and started talking about flux capacitors and the future of light speed warp travel. Kairi made an honest effort to follow her this time.

* * *

Fae faced the wall of her bedroom in Disney Castle, covers pulled up to her chin, her incomplete memories of their journey playing out on the blank surface like a projector. She smiled at the jokes, relived the fights, planned strategies over, and looked at the past pushing into the future in her mental pictures of Destiny Islands, soon to be called home.

She still couldn't remember any of her past on the world they had visited which held her origins. She couldn't even recall the man that was with them now whom Axel and Riku claimed was her brother. Now all that that world consisted of was images of the person she had killed and how she had almost introduced her friends to an even more horrible fate. Those memories would fade over time, Axel had assured her. And once Riku returned, she would be just as happy to start over (_again_) in her new world, with her new family, and get reacquainted with her old family.

At that moment, an arm curled around her waist and she felt herself sink down as a weight settled on the bed and someone lay down behind her. She gasped a little and rolled over.

"Riku!"

He shushed her softly with his fingertips against her mouth. "Fae, I know you're glad to see me, but I really can't stay awake another second. Just…stay here. Don't…leave…m…"

His eyes had closed before he had even gotten comfortable and in a matter of seconds, he was out cold. She pulled him toward her so he wouldn't slump off the side of the bed and settled into his chest. _No chance of that. It was never me who did the leaving—from end to beginning. Maybe he's finally done playing the runner…_

That would be just fine with her.

* * *

Kateracks: OMG, it's finally OVER! I'm going to be so lost without this story. But, all good things must come to an end, as they say. And also, "when one door closes, another opens" so I suppose we'll be moving on to other things.

Arait: Thanks again to all who stuck with us, enjoyed reading, and reviewed. It helped us get through the rough spots so this story could get the good ending it deserved. Or we hope anyway.

Kateracks: So I say to all of you, keep writing! You never know what will come out of one stray idea. Now for the last time…

Please Review!

Laters!

~K&A


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